Being proactive is king. But it won’t also be easy to always keep up with your good habits and intentions. Sometimes there will be obstacles in your way. The question will be, how to deal with the obstacles.

First, let’s have a look at certain obstacles that may be in your way:

1. Obstacles you have little to no influence on: Being sick would be in this category. If you are sick, there is not so much you can do about it. You just need to hold out and try to listen to your body (or your doctor or you peers) and return to your habits or goals steadily. Don’t grieve the obstacle. It is worthwhile to name and deconstruct the feeling and be passionate with yourself. Maybe your state of health allows you to follow a different habit that keeps you in touch with the original habit, like, walking if you’re normally running.
2. Obstacles you have limited influence on: Appointments or conflicting appointments may be an obstacle. The same as -1- applies, regarding patience and deconstructing underlying feelings. Additionally, in comes the question of priorities. If you have appointment conflicts, try to prioritize if your habit needs to collide with the appointment and if you have the possibility to find a substitute way to apply your habit. For example, if you have a jour-fix on a certain day you normally go running, swap days. And ask yourself the question if and how important you feel the habit is.
3. Procrastinating or finding excuses: If you are in this tier of avoiding hobbies, you should firstly recognize and acknowledge your feelings. Try also to deconstruct the feeling and try to find why you find it hard to follow this habit. Sometimes visualizing your habit step by step will lead you to uncomfortable feelings concerning the habit. Maybe tweaking the habit a bit or finding other starting points may help.

This is not a complete list of obstacles. It is just to give you a hint to the fact how important small steps, acknowledging your feelings and pinpointing your priorities is and that you should not be too hard on yourself if you can’t always stick to your habits or goals like intended. Don’t be perfect, but strive for what’s best possible and optimal for you.

Until then: Keep up the faith in yourself and take one step at a time.