It comes as no surprise that personal development is a challenging journey filled with many obstacles. Overcoming these key obstacles to self-improvement is the foundation of our journey, as they are the main things standing in our way of becoming our best selves.
Every person who went through major personal development had to go through these same key obstacles to self-improvement, so you are not alone.
Although they can seem overpowering, there are proven ways to overcome these challenges and start living much happier and more meaningful lives.
Remember, no path is easy, and no life is perfect, but if you can learn how to overcome these obstacles and rise above your current limitations, you can truly do anything.
Internal vs. External Obstacles
At the start of our personal development journey, what often defines our satisfaction with life are our internal and external challenges.
Our external challenges could be anything and anyone outside of ourselves that is making our life more difficult than it would be otherwise.
Our internal challenges are anything that is preventing us from growing, caused by either our mindset, emotions, or level of consciousness.
Our Internal challenges are usually more difficult to overcome. For example, we can have an amazing support system and many opportunities for growth but fail to truly utilize them.
On the other hand, we can have a challenging environment and zero support but have a desire to improve that overpowers the negativity around us.
In this scenario, we are overcoming our mind and gaining control instead of letting our circumstances control us.
Once we can control our mind, we can better manage our emotions, have control over how we perceive our environment, and very importantly, have the power to change it.
Once our mind becomes a tool we use instead of the master of us, there is nothing we cannot achieve.
Key Obstacles to Your Best Self
The Fear of Truth
Two very common obstacles are when we
a) don’t understand what their internal challenges are, or
b) don’t want to understand.
We can’t even begin resolving an issue if we don’t acknowledge it is real or understand what it truly means for our lives.
If you’re trying to improve a business that is failing or underperforming, how can you fix it if you don’t know all the internal information about it? You can’t. Therefore, it is fundamental to any aspect of self-improvement to understand and know ourselves deeply so that we can know what we need to focus on.
Personal development is nothing short of the biggest and most important project you will ever work on, and to succeed faster and better, you have to treat it like a project and tackle every key obstacles on your way to self-improvement. You have to know everything about the project (you); be clear on lacks, strengths, goals, and every other important aspect.
In the process of personal growth, truth is our guide.
A major obstacle to knowing our truth is the fear of.
Sometimes, we are afraid to know ourselves because we subconsciously know that we will discover truths that will make us uncomfortable. Our ego knows it will be hurt by admitting it is flawed and that we will most likely find a wound we tried to ignore for a long time.
Our minds and egos do not want to go through that because when we remember something, our mind and body relive the experience, which can be very frightening if it’s not a memory we wish to relive.
Overcoming the obstacle of fear
While overcoming this obstacle, we must take control of our thoughts and emotions that arise on the journey of understanding ourselves. Although we are dealing with challenges, they do not define us. It is crucial to reinforce the positivity of knowing ourselves and wanting to develop as a person and place it above any old emotion that may arise by remembering our past.
As the whole personal development journey, understanding and knowing ourselves can be a long and difficult process, depending on the path we take. Regardless, it is essential in any aspect of self-improvement.
Lack of Discipline – an obstacle to growth
A very common obstacle to self-improvement is a lack of discipline, or, in other words, laziness.
Maybe you heard the saying, “You cannot help people that don’t want to help themselves,” and similarly, we cannot improve unless we really WANT TO.
Many people express a desire to improve, but far fewer are willing to put in the effort required to achieve that improvement. The difference between the people who will and the people who won’t is often a lack of discipline. Whether it’s something we struggled with since childhood, a bad habit we developed over time, or a mental health consequence, lack of discipline is a major growth obstacle.
However, it is important to understand the value of rest and know how to recognize a good balance between rest and progress. Sometimes extra rest is necessary, and doing what feels right is important in our journey, but this is one of the key obstacles to self-improvement we have to be aware of and recognize when it is seriously impacting our growth.
Overcoming the Lack of Discipline
When we lack motivation for improvement or simply to do something we know will be good for us, it’s helpful to ask ourselves questions such as:
What kind of life would make me truly happy?
What kind of person do I need to become to live this life? What traits, habits, and behaviours must I develop?
At the end of my life, what kind of experiences and achievements will I be most proud of?
What would I regret not doing?
Asking ourselves the important questions is sometimes the key to unlocking our motivation.
Our brain may not be programmed to be self-motivated and driven all the time, but if we know the answer to these questions and hold this bigger picture in our mind, we can overcome this obstacle and stay committed to our journey.
Mental Health Obstacles
A very common obstacle to self-improvement are our mental health challenges. Our brain is like a computer, and not much more than that, while our mental health issues can act as a virus or an outdated part that’s slowing down our performance.
Having a mental health challenge does not prevent our growth, but it can definitely slow it down.
The reality is that most of our brains experience some kind of challenge. Human brains are limited, fragile, and susceptible to absolutely everything around them. 90% of our mind is subconscious, and when we don’t know what’s happening there, it can be a major threat to our development. This is why getting to know ourselves, especially our subconscious mind, is crucial.
How to get to know our minds
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Self-Help Methods
A very helpful method for understanding ourselves, our thoughts and beliefs, is self-reflection.
It involves asking questions and seeking answers in our mind to understand how our mind thinks and ‘feels’ about different topics. In essence, you are communicating with your brain and uncovering what might not be immediately visible.
Shadow work is a process of asking yourself potentially triggering questions that will unravel the truth about how you feel deep inside. This is also a very powerful practice, and the more impactful, the more profound the growth from it.
A great tool in the process is journaling, as it can help you both access your subconscious mind and record your thoughts for later.
Whatever tool you might use, the crucial thing is to be honest with yourself and remember why you are on this journey. The beginnings of getting to know ourselves are often the hardest, so you can know it gets easier later.
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Help in understanding ourselves
Our internal challenges can be a lot to handle, and even when they are not, it is useful to consider looking for help outside of ourselves. Even if we work really hard, there will always be something about ourselves that we do not see, or something we see too subjectively, which prevents us from fully understanding it.
Getting therapy is an amazing way to improve ourselves, as it offers an objective opinion about our mind and allows us to go deep into ourselves without having to do it alone.
Instead of asking ourselves questions and processing them ourselves, we can rely on an objective, unbiased opinion about our mind. Besides the things we already recognize, someone from the outside can help us see some hidden key obstacles to our self-improvement we might not see. Although this can seem scary, and it might take some time to find the right fit, it is definitely worth the effort and is something we should consider even when we think there’s nothing to work on.
Disclaimer: While the advice in this article can provide helpful insights, it cannot replace professional mental health support. Please consult a professional if you feel it might benefit you.
Regardless if we choose the path of seeking help or helping ourselves, the important thing is that we are making steps forward and getting to know ourselves as a crucial part of the growth process.
Conclusion
Personal development is hard, but life without it is harder. Overcoming these obstacles and reprogramming ourselves is the foundation of further personal growth. Once we overcome our own limitations, no one can place them on us in the future.
This process will not only make us the best versions of ourselves but also allow us to create a life of purpose and fulfilment that otherwise might remain out of reach.
