5 Mental Obstacles That Prevent Us From Achieving Success

And how to remove them

Israrkhan
Publishous
5 min readNov 7, 2022

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A woman crossing a barrier atop a horse
Photo by Gene Devine on Unsplash

I’ve been there before. You have too. We all have. Times when we just don’t feel motivated to do anything. When every day feels like an uphill battle, and we just can’t seem to break out of the slump.

It’s times like these that our mental obstacles rear their ugly heads, preventing us from achieving success. We might be held back by fear, doubt, or insecurity.

Maybe you’re perfectionists who are never satisfied with your work. Or maybe you just can’t seem to get organized and stay focused on your goals.

I used to be held back by fear, doubt, and insecurity. I would never feel satisfied with my work, and I could never seem to get organized and stay focused on my goals.

I feared that I may never be “good enough”. That my work would never be “perfect”. And that I would always be a procrastinator who could never get anything done.

These mental obstacles prevented me from taking action and achieving success. But I eventually realized that these were all just excuses that I was making to myself.

But over time, I gradually overcame these mental obstacles and started achieving success.

Whatever the obstacle, it can keep you from reaching your potential. But fortunately, there are ways to remove these mental blocks and achieve greater success.

In this article, I will share five of the best techniques for removing your mental obstacles to achieve success.

1. Identify Your Obstacles

The first step to overcoming your mental obstacles is to identify what they are. Once you know what’s holding you back, you can start to take steps to remove those barriers.

The best way to do this is to sit down and make a list of your obstacles. Write down everything that’s been preventing you from achieving your goals.

This might include fear, doubt, insecurity, perfectionism, and lack of focus or organization.

Once you have a complete list, you can begin to address each obstacle one by one.

Figure out what is causing that particular barrier and find a way to address it.

For example, if you struggle with fear, then find a way to face that fear head-on. Or if you’re a perfectionist, learn how to accept mistakes and move on.

2. Remove Negative Self-Talk

Negative self-talk can be another major obstacle in the way of success. This is the voice in our heads that tells us we can’t do something or that we’re not good enough.

It can be very damaging and lead us to doubt ourselves at every turn.

And this mental obstacle of negative self-talk is a product of a negative or defeatist mindset.

If you believe that you can’t achieve something, then it will be very difficult to actually do it.

But if you change your mindset and believe that you can succeed, then you will be much more likely to achieve your goals.

To overcome this obstacle, you need to learn how to silence that negative voice.

One way to do this is by practicing positive self-talk instead. This involves talking to yourself in a positive and supportive way, even when things are tough.

For example, if you find yourself struggling with a project, tell yourself, “I can do this” or “I’m doing the best I can.”

By reinforcing these positive messages, you can start to drown out the negative voice inside your head.

3. Set Realistic Goals

One of the main reasons people don’t achieve their goals is that they set unrealistic expectations for themselves.

They might want to achieve too much too quickly or they might be trying to do everything on their own. This can lead to frustration and a feeling of being overwhelmed.

To overcome this obstacle, it’s important to set realistic goals for yourself.

Make sure your goals are challenging but achievable. This will help you stay motivated and focused on reaching your targets.

It’s also important to break down your goals into smaller steps so you can track your progress more easily.

This will help keep you on track and prevent feelings of being overwhelmed.

4. Take Action Toward Your Goals

Another common obstacle to success is a lack of action.

People might have all the motivation and determination in the world, but if they don’t take action, they won’t get anywhere.

To overcome this obstacle, it’s important to take small steps toward your goals every day.

No matter how busy you are or how big your goal is, you can always find time for small actions.

For example, if your goal is to start a business, you could research business ideas or look into funding options.

Taking action will not only help you achieve your goals, but it will also give you a sense of progress and accomplishment.

This can be a great motivator to keep taking more action and moving closer to your goals.

5. Get Support From Others

Going it alone can be one of the biggest obstacles to success.

We might feel like we have to do everything ourselves or that we’re not good enough to ask for help.

But this couldn’t be further from the truth!

Getting support from others can make a huge difference in our ability to achieve success.

When we have people to lean on, we can stay motivated and focused on our goals. We can also get helpful advice and feedback along the way.

If you’re struggling to overcome your obstacles, reach out to family and friends for support.

You could also join a professional organization or group that can offer guidance and resources.

Final Words

The five tips I’ve outlined in this article can help you overcome common obstacles to success.

By accepting mistakes, removing negative self-talk, setting realistic goals, taking action, and getting support from others, you can put yourself on the path to achieving your dreams.

Implementing these tips will require an effort, but it will be worth it in the end!

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