Understanding Professional Roadblocks and How to Persevere
Along with the joy of starting a new project, job, or journey to achieving a dream comes the hard part: discipline, work, patience, and perseverance. The path is not all pleasant, as that’s just how the territory is. You can expect many highs as you see the fruits of your effort or marvel at discoveries. During the evolution of your project, however, it may sometimes look like nothing will come of what you are doing.
Nevertheless, if you are confident in your vision, keep going. The end goal may not happen exactly as you may have envisioned it, as the result may come from a different direction altogether. The only way to discover that outcome is to keep going and maintain the goal in mind.
Sometimes, I’ve been working hard on a project, and I don’t get the result I’ve been looking for. Then, suddenly, pieces start aligning, and things eventually work out. It isn’t magic, but after extensive effort and planning, I’ve found the process that works for me and my circumstances. If it hadn’t been for the perseverance I already invested, I wouldn’t have found an alternate path that provided what I needed.
When the Going Gets Tough: What Helps
Perseverance
Keep your goal in mind and maintain your momentum. Follow your plan, and perform the actions you know you need to take. It is often by taking the actions necessary to achieve our goals, especially those that are the most challenging, that we find the results we have been looking for. Those different actions that we have never taken drive us to results we have never seen. Taking actions like networking with a potential new client or presenting in front of a large crowd may take your company to a new level. It is often uncomfortable, but that’s also part of the journey.
Keeping an Open Mind
When the going gets tough, sometimes you need creativity to find new pathways. Reframing the problem and looking for ways around the obstacles are key skills that can help you find your destination. The path is rarely obvious; if it were, many others would be on the same journey.
Sometimes we continue taking the same actions that aren’t working without realizing that they probably never will. When we have reached a dead end, it is best to reconsider the path and find another way. Keeping an open mind will help you find new solutions and reach your destination sooner and more efficiently. Another way to find a new direction is to brainstorm new ideas with others. Friends and colleagues can help point you in new directions you may not have considered. Peer coaching groups provide a ready-made group of colleagues that can give you a new perspective.
Taking Time Away
Sometimes we may feel blocked on a project, and we can’t find a way forward. At that point, taking a break and working on other activities can be the best approach. For days, you might not think about your project, and then perhaps suddenly a new way of looking at it comes to mind. You can use this technique even for smaller tasks. If you have a new opportunity or idea and you are not sure how to proceed, taking some time to think about it will usually provide a better outcome.
The journey is not always what we expect, but it teaches us a lot, and we become different people for it. The mistakes and the wrong turns we take along the way are valuable lessons that we can then apply to the same endeavor again or to different projects. In the end, we often end up with something that would not have otherwise been possible.
