CHRISTINE BECKWITH
BECKWITH BLOG
Mastering Obstacles And Hurdles Overcoming Adversity What are the things that might slow you down, but not knock you out of the game? BY CHRISTINE BECKWITH | CONTRIBUTING WRITER, NATIONAL MORTGAGE PROFESSIONAL
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o many times, when we have a bad day, it trickles into our week. So many times, when we have a bad week, it becomes our bad month, our bad year. Adversity is hard to overcome, especially when unexpected. And yet … Would you stop your diet all together if you ate a half-gallon of ice cream today? Or would you wake tomorrow and start over again, determined to have more willpower today? How many wrong steps does it take to fall out of new, more productive habits and back into the old, less productive ones? I have been on a three-year personal exercise plan. Midway through, due to unexpected circumstances that mainly had to do with travel, I broke my cycle of exercise and allowed the break to almost completely derail me. Almost. I picked myself up, adjusted the plan and renewed my
commitment. I regained my strength built back up to the level of daily exercise I enjoy today. Accept that obstacles will show up. In every plan, it’s important to expect the unexpected and to prepare. Why do you carry a spare tire in the trunk of your car? Because a flat tire can happen in any journey and the spare will get you to the repair shop to assess and continue moving forward.
OBSTACLES AND HURDLES First, you must think of all the obstacles that could derail your specific plan. What are they? Time? Money? Resources? Be specific when you write these down. What are your hurdles? What are the things that might slow you down, but not knock you out of the game? Kids schedules? Bad market? Think of past adversity that derailed plans and of future and current challenges.
THE REMEDIES Once you write these down, apply a remedy to each. If you said time then write how you can overcome it, get more time towards your plan. Write a schedule if need be. Dissect your existing work hours. What are
you doing with your time now? Once you have these obstacles and hurdles laid out, you can apply your remedies and be more prepared as they present themselves. There are a few golden rules to be sure you include, so remember: 1. Be prepared with a plan to overcome the obstacles and hurdles that will occur! 2. Everyone has real-life factual reasons to sway from a plan. Life happens, takes us off our game. How quickly we get back in is up to us. Look in the mirror and be honest with your own self. Don’t make excuses! 3. Start fresh every day! Every day is a new opportunity! Don’t throw the plan out if you fall off the wagon today! Fact: You will have bad days. Don’t allow those to be weeks and then months. Here is a powerful story I’d like to share that illustrates this philosophy. At this particular time in my career, a lot of things were going right. I was in a great place and successfully managing a branch and rather large team. One day, an
“In every plan, it’s important to expect the unexpected and to prepare.”
