3 Keys To Overcoming Obstacles Against All Odds
You can overcome what's stopping you and get it out of your way.
getty Overcoming obstacles is easier said than done.
How often do people tell us, "Just go for it! You can do it!" You so wish you could be brave enough to do what you want but feel paralyzed.
Perhaps you recognize it as fear, be it rational or not. For others, it's what we term "paralysis by analysis."
You overthink everything that you just can’t take action.
I was certainly one of those people.
In a recent interview for my Be Free, Be Fun, Be Fearless Series, bestselling author of This Time, Another Place, poet, and phone photographer Melinda Kapor shared her story of how she moved from Northern California to Italy with no plan whatsoever — just a burning desire.
She visited Europe with her family in her 20s and loved it so much that she was determined to come back. She didn’t know how, had no plan, and knew no one but she wanted it.
Opportunities presented themselves to return to Europe three times in one year.
Having determined that she wanted to live there but not having enough money to support it, she put her car up for sale and received enough for her airfare within days of her needing to leave for Europe.
Very quickly, she moved from Paris to Rome, and then later to Milan where she met her husband shortly afterwards. Over 30 years later, she is still very happy there.
There was no logic to her choices, no precise plan. Yet, she landed on her feet.
Melinda’s story is a wonderful example of allowing yourself to be free enough to believe that anything is possible and it will all work out. She explains that she had always been a dreamer so, perhaps, her steady focus in that direction led her there.
Being a deeply spiritual person, she has been open to being guided and recognizing the signs to propel her in life.
This, in essence, is a conscious manifestation — the ability to achieve your goals through a process of being, rather than doing.
That's not to say you shouldn’t take the actions — of course, you should! — but it’s about being open enough to take guided actions.
What does that look like, and how can you improve your ability to recognize the signs?
Here are 3 keys to overcoming obstacles against all odds.
1. Feel your body.
We frequently talk about gut instinct, but if something really isn’t right, we can feel it elsewhere in our bodies.
It may be niggles in the stomach, aching in the arms, the heaviness of the legs, a constriction in your throat, or a foggy head that stops you thinking straight.
Be open and take a moment to consider what and where you are feeling something.
2. Repeated patterns.
If you keep trying to do something and seem to be blocked from every direction, this is often a sign that you need to re-think the plan.
It may mean waiting a while or finding another door to knock on.
Consider how many times in the past you may have forced your way through for something to happen, only to discover it wasn’t what you wanted or didn’t work out quite as you had expected it to.
This can be a powerful lesson is learning to accept.
3. Be present and open.
When we're so incredibly busy keeping ourselves distracted, we don’t notice signs. We're closed off from guidance, both from an energetic perspective and from a physical state.
Our bodies and minds are stressed, which stops us from noticing what could be right in front of us.
Consider the simple example of searching for your keys — the more stressed you get trying to find them, the less you see, only to discover they may have been in your bag all along when you calm down and slow down.
The same applies to anything in our lives.
Melinda went on to discuss the practice of daily gratitude and how that helped her in her darkest and most testing moments.
She lifts her mood through meditation, which increases her ability to recognize signs and guidance. She takes comfort in the overwhelming knowledge that all will be well.
In the current time of global fear around COVID-19 — where people are losing their jobs, fearful of their livelihoods, futures, and the health of their loved ones — Melinda’s message was both uplifting and comforting.
She described the loss of her father and much loved younger brother, and how she found solace in the process of surrender.
In believing that you're never alone, no matter how much you may feel it at the time, in always believing there are natural troughs and peaks in life.
Even in times of deep pain, believe that eventually, it will all turn out for the best when you get through it and look back.
From a consciousness perspective, this is a process of raising your energy to one of opportunity and purpose. When something bad happens, ask yourself what the opportunity could be.
Consider keeping a purpose or opportunity journal and reflect back on it — it will help elevate your mood.
I was fortunate enough to share some of Melinda's poetry during our talk, which focuses on happy memories, uplifting messages, and being present.
Her photographs, also featured in her book, capture moments that allow you to see what we so often miss when we are in a hurry.
She also said she loved photographing doors and what springs to mind is the idea that if we focus our direction long enough, the door will indeed open to us and for us.
Rana Al-Falaki is a life coach and author of Women Who Want More: How to Create a Balanced and Fulfilled Life. For more information on how to strengthen these areas of your life, e-mail her for a copy of her Boundaries Toolkit.