7 roadblocks to making positive changes & how to overcome them

At KlearMinds, our team of highly experienced life coaches are professionally trained, sensitive and approachable, and work in total confidence. We are able to help with a wide range of issues to help you grow and make positive changes in your life, both personally and professionally.

While everyone’s situation is different, we all experience ‘roadblocks’ to success from time to time. Here, we’ve put together seven common obstacles to change – whether you’re seeking a better work-life balance or growing a business, seeking a new relationship or career.

1 – Lack of self-reflection

If you are unhappy and frustrated with your life, busy with the everyday demands at work and at home, you need to find time to stop and find out what would bring more meaning to your life. Set aside some time for reflection and discovery, and tune in to your innermost needs, hopes and dreams. What are your values and priorities? What do you really want to do? There are many life coaching exercises that can help you identify what is really important in your life.

2 – Fear of the unknown

All the exploration and self-discovery exercises in the world won’t help you change if you don’t put them into action. If you are afraid of change – and many people are – perhaps this needs exploring further. Have there been other occasions or periods in your life when you transitioned into something new? What resources and strategies were most helpful to you then? Reframing uncertainty as a new experiencing is part of growing, and can help to take you to the next stage in your journey.

3 – Lack of confidence

Are you overly critical with yourself or pessimistic about making a change? Do you have an inner voice that keeps telling you not to bother? Having a positive sense of self and belief in your own abilities is necessary in order to succeed. What are you really good at, what makes you unique? Remember a time when you accomplished a goal and what made you achieve success. Life coaching can be very effective in helping you break through an obstacle.

4 – Self-esteem issues

Do you feel insecure about the way you look, about your age, what you can bring to the table and how you are perceived by others? While everyone has some insecurities, they shouldn’t stop you from doing what you really want to do. Instead of being overly critical of your personality or appearance, focus on your strengths and on what you have to offer. Work with a good counsellor to help you gain more confidence.

5 – No support network

No (wo)man is an island, said John Donne. Feeling connected to other people is always better than trying to work things out on your own. Professional contacts are necessary to keep up to date with industry trends, information and job opportunities. Personal friends and like-minded peers, mentors and coaches also make up your support network. How can you assemble your support network to help build a sense of resilience?

6 – Fear of failure

Are you afraid to get out of your comfort zone and take risks? Is your need for certainty stopping you from growing? Perhaps past negative experiences or setbacks have made you more risk averse? It is important to have a healthy tolerance of ups and downs, of challenges and mistakes, so if you have any limiting beliefs and self-defeating thoughts that prevent you from making the changes you need to make, a life coach can help you to shift your thinking.

7 – Outside pressures and expectations

There is no right or wrong way to live or work, but many people feel they have to conform to society’s expectations, their family’s beliefs or someone else’s idea of what they should or shouldn’t be doing. What are your values? Rather than being in danger of living someone else’s life, choose your path based on your own compass. Cultivate a mindful attitude to increase your self-awareness and recognise the blocks to living your ideal life. Be open to new possibilities and a brighter future.