How To Achieve Your Life Goals Regardless of Obstacles

The Bible instructs us in Proverbs 16:3 to entrust our works to the Lord, and our thoughts will be established. When we seek God's wisdom and guidance in setting our goals, we can have faith that He will help us accomplish them.

You can be sure that life will sometimes be a twisting path of “potholes” around which you must navigate. You have likely already been through phases of your life where you wondered if your luck would ever change. Then, things calmed down, and you discovered the smoother, straighter road.

Jeremiah 1:19: They will fight against you, but they will not overcome you, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord.

Regardless of where your journey leads, it is important to continue making progress toward meeting the goals you have established for yourself. During tough times, staying focused on what you want in life will keep your spirits high and bring you joy.

Isaiah 57:14: And it will be said, Build up, build up, prepare the way, Remove every obstacle out of the way of My people.

This lesson gives you five strategies that you can always use to prevent obstacles from stopping you.

Try these tips to continue going for your goals even when life’s road gets rough:

1. Know exactly what you are after in life.

• What do you want your life to be like?
• When you are sure, you can plan your short- and long-term activities to help you achieve your goals.

2. Keep your list of life goals short and to the point.

Some good examples of life goals are:

• Save 25% of my yearly earnings for kids’ education, vacations, and retirement
• Take budget-friendly vacations out of the country every 5 years
• Retire when I’m 67

3. Infuse elements of achieving your goals into your everyday life. Let’s say one of your goals is to travel to Australia three years from now. Have some books about Australia lying around the house, on your coffee table and nightstand. Listen to music from Australia on your MP3. Watch television shows about Aussie land.
   
   
   • Have reminders and tasks related to meeting your life goals throughout your home. Make your life goals part of your everyday life so that even when times get bumpy, you can keep your eyes on what is important to you.
4. Talk positively to yourself. Positive self-talk can be quite helpful. When you do, you will be more likely to keep working toward your goals in life. Say something like, “I’m in a rough patch, but I will still keep saving for my retirement and my kids’ educations.”
   
   
   • Other examples of positive self-talk are “I can get through this challenging phase just like I did before,” “As long as I keep moving forward, things will be okay,” and “Life has in store many more wonderful adventures for me.”
   • Using positive self-talk will keep your spirits buoyed when you feel like floundering in choppy waters.
     
     
5. Reflect on your efforts to reinforce them. Even though you may be struggling, think about what you accomplished just this week to achieve your goals. Maybe you made a couple of phone calls, explored the internet to gather information, or drew up a new budget to ensure you are on target for saving for your life goals.
   
   
   • The fact is you did something. And recognizing that will reinforce your efforts to achieve your goals. You can excel in times of great challenge.

Keep working toward accomplishing your goals even though life throws out more than a few obstacles. Know what you are after and stay focused. Make your life goals a daily life and use positive self-talk. Acknowledge what you have done to keep moving forward.

2 Timothy 1:7: For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.

Apply these strategies to help you consistently work to meet your life goals. If you do, you will accomplish whatever you want, no matter what.

If you know the most common obstacles and how to overcome them, you will have a huge advantage in the game of life.

Here is what you need to do today:

Notice what you say to yourself.

• For one day, notice what you say to yourself.
• How much of it is negative? How do you think this negative self-talk influences your attitude and results? How does it affect your ability to overcome life’s obstacles?