Prepare for the challenges

When we set out on a journey to reach a new goal, we often spend a lot of our time envisioning what it will be like when we reach the finish line. We think about the rewards and how we will feel when we win.

We only spend a small number of our thoughts on challenges. At this point we breeze through potential struggles in our mind assuming that we either won’t have any or we will push right through them.

This is why so many people struggle when they set goals. They don’t accurately address potential challenges ahead of time.

If we shift this to only focus on the challenges, we might take on a pessimistic attitude and feel that it is too hard to do it. So we quit.

The problem is that most people fall to one of those two extremes. Either they envision an easy path with zero problems or they see all the problems stacked up and feel that makes it impossible.

But the reality is that it is almost never one of those two extremes. It is likely a journey that is possible but will have obstacles along the way.

Instead of just daydreaming in the beginning, we should do actual work to map out the journey as much as possible and look for potential pitfalls. Then we can look for ways to prepare for those moments and come up with preventative measures as much as possible.

This starts to build a certain fortitude that will help us on our journey. We have to be able to hit obstacles and quickly look for the best way to address them and get past them.

Being able to problem solve is an important part of self-improvement. If we want to reach a goal and get better, we can’t let problems stop us in our tracks.

Therefore we should hold off on envisioning the victory lap and instead focus on building out the process. What are we doing to move us towards the finish line? What can we tweak so that we do it better? How can we be more consistent?

This mindset helps to build the right foundation where success is not just possible, it becomes likely. Success is not an accident. It is often due to the hard work, planning, adjusting, problem solving, etc. of the individual.

So take on a realistic view of your goals. Don’t assume it will be extremely easy and problem-free because that isn’t reality, especially if the goal is a major one.

But also don’t assume the problems are too much to handle. Prepare for challenges and learn how to keep going in the face of adversity so that you can continue to make strides towards the end result that you desire.