Faith, Goals, and Fear

Between you and every goal that you wish to achieve, there is a series of obstacles,
and the bigger the goal, the bigger the obstacles. -Brian Tracy

Every business and every person has obstacles along their pathway toward their goal. If you haven’t ever noticed that then chances are your goals haven’t been big or impactful enough.

Successful businesses, top performers, and great leaders don’t get there by luck.

Overcoming the obstacles in our path is what life and careers are about. It’s how wisdom is acquired, and it’s how replication happens.

Think about a time where you had to overcome obstacles to become who you are today. What was it you had to overcome? Anxiety, anger, financial loss, depression, loss of a loved one, or joblessness? These items all have one thing in common: fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of loneliness, fear of devastation, fear of health, fear of death, fear of not being a success, fear of loss, and so on.

After you think of that obstacle, look back now at how you overcame it. How did you move through it or turn it around or run from it? That is the story you get to teach.

We all live beyond seasons of obstacles. Some come out on the other side stronger and some weaker.

One thing we know. This too shall pass. How will your obstacles change you?

1. Will you be stronger or weaker from it?
2. Will your family be stronger or weaker from it?
3. Will your company be stronger or weaker from it?

In the future, there will be more goals and more obstacles. Have faith and fight! Faith and fear cannot dwell in the same soul.

“When obstacles arise, you change your direction to reach your goal;
you do not change your decision to get there.” – Zig Ziglar

What a great thought from one of the most inspirational speakers and authors of our time, and since many of us are busy mapping out and finalizing our 2013 goals, it’s one we ought to remember five or six months down the road.

Though the goal setting process might get a little tedious, it’s the goal getting that really demands our best efforts. There are countless factors – many of them outside of our control – that can impact our progress and momentum and cause us to question the goals that just a few months before we wholeheartedly agreed we could accomplish.

The reality is that obstacles will always accompany goals. If it didn’t take any real effort to achieve them, they wouldn’t be goals, would they? As barriers begin to pop up in opposition to your 2013 goals, make a commitment to regroup instead of retreat. Call all hands on deck. Figure out what needs to change. Determine small, measurable, actionable steps to get back on track. And celebrate the small wins along the way as you continue to persevere toward your big goal.