Challenges in going and finding your own way in life – Part II

Welcome to part two of this blog post where we talk about challenges that get into the way when it comes to living and creating the life we wish for ourselves – including approaches that help me overcoming them! Part one already covered five difficulties and now let’s get ready for three more!

6. You don’t have time to work towards your goal 

Take the time you can make! And also be honest. Is your chosen goal really important to you? I’m not talking about these “should” things like “I should do more sports” because we know it’s healthy – and actually we don’t really mind. I mean those things that get you excited and make you smile when you think about them. Things that would feel too good to be true. These are the goals I’m talking about.

I can tell you I work on my art business almost every day without having to force myself. I just do it. It brings me joy and is aligned with my desired way of living. Whereas working out seven days a week and following a strict diet plan to get in a certain physical shape for sure does not have that power! I would have to force myself and drop it at day three latest. Goals and dreams are highly individual. Listening to your gut feeling definitely pays off. 

Also not having time can easily be used as an excuse. Guilty myself here! I procrastinate if my next step feels uncomfortable or scares me. What blends in there and is also very typical: not feeling like it. “Naw, I don’t feel like doing the taxes / writing that blog post / doing the workout today … I’ll do it tomorrow!”. Maybe you can also shift and tweak your schedule just a tiny bit to gift yourself a little more time? It is not selfish but important to stay sane, I think. Find a blog article particularly on this topic here.

7. You have no idea what your goals and desires are – and why should you even deal with this topic?

Yeah, why should we have desires or goals? We can also walk through life without having big dreams or trying to reach our goals. And it can be fine. But! As I already wrote about in this blog article I think our dreams can be a beautiful guideline to live a meaningful life. To find out what is important to us. What we want to experience and how we want to be as a person. The same is true for goals and values. They can grow us. And they can be helpful in any decision making process (this is where I personally have some way to go). “Is this situation aligned with my values?” “How should I behave in this particular situation?” “Does this decision bring me closer to my goal or not?” Knowing about our goals, values and desires can make things a lot easier. Also it is so much fun thinking about!

8. You know what you wish for but you are afraid of the changes, consequences and uncertainty it might bring

Gosh, I got you! This especially was a big one for me. I remember how shocked I was when I first found out that I wanted to leave my previous job (read about that here). Just allowing the thought came with a lot of perceived consequences. This is why sometimes we tend to ignore certain things or push them away. Because the consequences – or changes one could also say – can be so huge and scary I think it is crucial to not rush things. 

But maybe just walk with these thoughts, these secret wishes for a while. Allow them to be there. And know that nothing has to change. Not today. Not even tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. Just carrying the thought already is a change. I think the important thing is to make a decision. Deciding to leave things as they are. Or deciding for change – at your pace. 

Sometimes we need to walk quite a while with an idea before we feel ready to bring it to life. This as well is an important aspect I think, to prepare ourselves mentally. 

Facing the fact that we want to change something or that we have a certain dream we want to go after. Getting used to the idea of change, what it would require to pursue our goal, figuring out a plan and also thinking about the consequences and challenges that might come with it – and possible solutions. I certainly need some time to let things and ideas really sink in until I feel ready. Otherwise I feel unprepared, insecure and overwhelmed and not even sure if the particular thing is really right for me. So give yourself the time you need. 

As you can see, I’m all for the little steps. No matter the challenge, tiny steps are my go-to. A few minutes a day, one tiny step after the next. Start where you are with what you have. This saying helps me so much. 

There might be more challenges and hurdles. For sure this topic can not be covered completely by one or two blog posts. And it is far too individual for a one-size-fits-all solution. So my thoughts on the mentioned topics may not work for you. 

But I want you to know that there are ways out of what seems like a dead end. There definitely are! More than one, I bet. 

Know that you are not alone. Many of us face similar challenges. If we dare to raise this topic often interesting conversations can happen. I talked to people who changed careers, who went on a long trip they dreamt about for years or moved to a different town and started all over again. Those conversations are inspiring and encouraging. It shows that we are not alone with our struggles and what others were already able to accomplish.  

Also I think daring to walk new ways is often less of a one and done thing but a path made out of many tiny steps. Doing what is the next right thing even if we haven’t mapped out the whole strategy yet.

Implementing small changes while leaving the rest as it is is not only more doable but also less stressful than turning your life around all at once (at least this is true for me). Process can be made in taking like 10 minutes a day pondering on your questions.

Working towards your goal and implementing changes is not always easy. It can feel uncomfortable and bring up challenges. But if it is something important for you, don’t get discouraged! It is worth to keep going.

Tell me about your challenges in the comments or write me an e-mail (hello@annikaruhwedel.com) and let’s ponder on things together!

I cheer you on every step on your way!

All the best

Annika