Defining & Overcoming Obstacles [Goal Setting Series, part 2]

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Welcome to part 2 of the Goal Setting Series! Last week, I walked you through how to figure out what you want and clearly define your goal. Today, we’re talking about defining and overcoming obstacles on the way to your goal.

Obstacles are inevitable whenever you are achieving something big (or even something small). By preparing for setbacks, you’ll be less likely to get discouraged and thrown off course.

I’m using my 2026 goal of publishing a book as an example throughout this series. This is a goal I’ve wanted to achieve for a long time, and I have PLENTY of evidence of the obstacles that have prevented me from achieving this goal in the past. 

I’ll share some common obstacles, as well as really tangible strategies to help you overcome them. 

If you haven’t already grabbed your copy of the free Goals Workbook, click here to get it and follow along. 

Common Obstacles to Achieving a Goal

There are 5 obstacles that I’ve seen come up in myself and others over and over again. They are:

1. Belief or mindset
2. Knowledge
3. Just plain old quitting
4. Time
5. Life situations

The good news is that these are all solvable! You just have to be committed and have some helpful tools and strategies ready to go.

Obstacle #1: Belief

Your thoughts about yourself, your goal, and what's possible for you play a major role in whether or not you achieve your goals. 

We know that thoughts lead to feelings, which lead to action. That means that if you don’t have belief in yourself and your goal, you’re way less likely to take the actions needed to achieve it. 

Some of the negative thoughts that creep up can be sneaky. Watch out for ones like:

• This is going to be a failure.
• I’m not good enough.
• I don’t know what I’m doing. 
• I’ve tried before and failed, so of course I’m gonna fail again.

Just because these thoughts pop up, it doesn’t mean they’re true!

Strategies to Build Belief

This first strategy is one of my favorites, and I do it often. I call it an “I love you” letter. Sit down and write yourself an encouraging letter, as if your best friend is talking to you. Or your purest core Self that is full of love for you. (You can hear me read one of my old I love you letters to myself in the full episode). 

The next strategy goes back to last week’s episode and your “why”. When you reconnect with the true reason you want your goal, it often inspires you to action. 

Another way to build belief is to create an evidence log. When you think that your goal is impossible, your brain will start looking for evidence that that is true. Instead, practice looking for evidence that what you want IS possible, and write it down. 

Here are some ways to find that evidence:

• Look back at your life. When have you proven to yourself that you can do things?
• What is a goal you set in the past that you achieved?

These bits of evidence do not have to be directly related to your goal. You’re just building a body of proof that you can succeed. For example, my goal is to publish a book. Some of my evidence includes times I wanted to (and did) graduate from college, start a podcast, build a profitable business, improve my marriage, and eat healthy. 

As you add to your log, I know that you’ll end up with plenty of evidence that you are a person who is capable of achieving her goals. 

You can also use this strategy if you are struggling with impostor syndrome or thoughts like, “I’m not smart enough,” “I’m not good enough,” etc. Focus on positive personality traits like, “I am a person who doesn't quit. Even if I've quit before I've come back to it,” or “I am a person who likes to work hard.“

Decide that you are good enough, and look for evidence of that being true.

Obstacle #2: Knowledge

The truth is that, sometimes, you really just don’t know what to do. Or you don’t have the information or skills to make your goal happen (yet). 

When I started my business, I got trained in a bunch of different parenting philosophies. Then a few years later, I went through life coaching certification. When I  wanted to start this podcast, I had to do some research and took an online course.

The solution to this one is super practical. When you are lacking knowledge, it means that you have to invest in yourself, education, and resources that you need in order to fill that knowledge gap. 

Obstacle #3: Quitting

Quitting is probably the #1 obstacle to achieving your goals. We’ve all done it. You just stop working on it. You can always overcome quitting by starting again.

You can un-quit whenever you want.  It’s a decision you can make at any time. It's not that big of a deal to quit and then say, “Oh well, I quit, but now I'm going to go back.” 

Tell yourself, “I love quitting AND I love starting again.”

Obstacle #4: Time

This is a huge obstacle for most of us. And the solution is really in the planning. You not only have to figure out what you need to do to achieve your goal; You also have to get clear on when you’re going to do it.

None of us has an infinite amount of time (or energy and mental capacity). These limitations are real. So when you want to achieve a goal, you will probably have to sacrifice in some other area. 

You can look at overcoming the time obstacle in 2 different ways:

1. How much time do I need in order to reach my goal?
2. How much time do I have that I can dedicate to my goal?

I recommend starting with a time audit. (You’ll find a template for this in the workbook.) Look at your week or a couple of weeks and write down how you are spending your time. As you review your audit, you’ll probably find some chunks of discretionary time that are available. This helps you create a sort of time budget. 

Depending on the approach you’re taking, you’ll find out:

1. Whether you have the amount of time available that you think you need.
2. How much time you have available. Then, you’ll decide which actions will fit into that allotted time.

You may discover that you do not have enough available time to take the actions you want toward your goal. This means that you’ll have to get rid of some things in order to create more time. This goes back to the prioritizing that we talked about in last week’s episode. 

This is what happened to me when I really started looking at creating focused time to work on my book. I found some areas of life and business that were taking up a lot of time, and I made some decisions:

• Stop recording new podcast episodes for a little while (don’t worry, we’re putting out an amazing “best-of” series starting in January)
• Keep dinners really simple, saving time on meal planning and prep
• Pause taking on new coaching clients while I work on the book
• Close my group program, so that I can put all my mental energy into the book (which will reach more parents and make an even bigger impact)

When you decide on a goal, take a look at your resources, at your availability of time, energy, and mental capacity. 

You may have to decide:

• What can I say no to? 
• What do I need to change? 
• What do I need to get rid of in order to add this new thing?

That doesn’t mean that you have to get rid of something forever. You might just need a limited amount of time to prioritize and focus in on your goal. Once you do the heavy lifting and achieve your goal, it will eventually become easier to maintain and manage. It becomes just a part of your lifestyle.

Obstacle #5: Life Situations

This is one that you often can’t prepare for. In life, things are going to come up that are unexpected and throw a wrench in your plans. 

When I look back now at why I didn’t finish my book in 2022, I see that there were so many other things going on for me and my family. No wonder I couldn’t get it done! And that’s okay. 

If stuff comes up, and if your goal is still really important to you, you WILL have another chance to achieve it. Just because you have to prioritize other things for now doesn’t mean that you’ll never get back to your goal. When it comes back around, you’ll pivot, recommit, and not quit. 

Mama, you are an incredible woman. It is 100% possible for you to achieve your goals. I believe it, and I want you to believe it, too.

You’ll Learn:

• 5 common obstacles and how to overcome them
• 3 strategies to build belief in yourself and your goal
• What I wrote to myself back in 2022 when I was struggling with negative thoughts and lack of belief
• Why quitting doesn’t mean you’ll never achieve your goal
• A fun little rhyme to remember when life happens and you get off-track with your goal

Resources:

• Get the free workbook: Prioritize & Achieve Your Goals in 4 Steps
• Episode 204: Defining Your Goals