How to overcome unexpected obstacles

Have you ever had to deal with unexpected obstacles, either in your professional or personal life? If so, here are some ways to overcome them.

This year, I've been focusing on working towards my long-term career goals. Currently, I'm still studying part-time, but I have a plan for once I graduate.

Part of this plan involved me demonstrating my passion for books and storytelling, not only on this blog, but on social media too. Therefore, in January, I created a BookTok account.

Over the first four months of the year, I've slowly grown that account to having over 1.1k followers — although, I'm focusing more on the content I produce than the followers I gain.

Branching out to TikTok as well as Instagram means I can create a variety of content, whether it's book reviews, book recommendations, reading trackers, etc. I've found joy in creating content, but over the weekend, I had an unexpected obstacle.

One of the videos I shared was shadow-banned, meaning it didn't get pushed out through the algorithm. Instead, it reached only a limited audience. However, that audience, whilst small, was still over 100 people.

I wasn't expecting my post to be shadow-banned, and I wasn't quite sure what to do as a result. In the end, I just engaged with other content from creators I love and used the app from a viewer's perspective, rather than a creator's.

But it got me thinking about how we deal with unexpected obstacles. Especially those that can have a big impact on our lives and can affect multiple areas.

So, below are a few ways to overcome unexpected obstacles.

Growth mindset

I heard a lot about 'growth mindset' in school, especially in PDT (Personal Development Time). Essentially, having a growth mindset means believing that your skills and intelligence can be developed through dedication and hard work.

When faced with an obstacle, having a growth mindset can help because it means you'll strive forward. If you've hit an unexpected barrier, then through your dedication and hard work, you will find a way to work around the issue and come out the other side.

Positive vibes

You may think that positivity is the same as having a growth mindset, and in some ways, they are similar. However, what I mean by positive vibes is focusing on the good things. Try to find a silver lining and don't get bogged down by negativity.

Sometimes, it's easy to give up, and it's easy to think the world is ending because of one unexpected obstacle. For me, when my post was shadow-banned, I was confused as I'd seen lots of similar posts, but I also thought it would impact my account's growth.

But after some reflection and channelling of positive vibes, I realised it was just a blip. There wasn't anything I could do but remain positive and focus on moving forward.

Prioritise your priorities

When we reach an unexpected obstacle, it can send a lot of things into disarray. Life can become quite chaotic and rather stressful, and it can be challenging to manage everything.

So, when that happens, the best thing to do is first take a breath and then evaluate the situation. Work out what your priorities are. It could be completing a uni assignment, wrapping up a project for work, making sure you do your grocery shopping, etc.

Once you've worked out your priorities, it'll be easier to then go through the list of them and tackle them one by one, so that you can overcome the unexpected obstacle with efficiency and focus.

Take a moment

Sometimes, one of the worst things we can do as humans is to jump straight into things. Acting before we think isn't always a good thing, and when we're faced with unexpected obstacles, it can be good to take a moment.

Taking a moment to step back and reflect, evaluate, and assess can allow us to focus on what's really important and formulate a plan. It will give us space to work smarter, not harder.

So, the next time you're faced with an unexpected obstacle, try some of these tips and see if they can help. If you have any other tips of your own, feel free to leave them in the comments below.

Until next time...