Beginners Guide to Overcome Challenges in Life

This guide will show you how to overcome challenges in life. During different stages in our lives, we run into obstacles that seem to stall us. We try to find our purpose in life and when we get stuck it discourages us from our paths. It is in overcoming those obstacles that we learn more about ourselves and we learn about the real strength we have deep inside us.

One of the biggest challenges I ran into was when my mom passed away very suddenly. She was an inspiration for love and trust. We spoke daily and I had come to rely on her for so many things. When all of a sudden she wasn’t there anymore I felt as though I was lost. I felt like I wasn’t able to calm my own thoughts as she normally did for me. I felt I had no outlet anymore. We thought the same, often when I couldn’t find the words, she understood what I was feeling anyways. I had to re-learn some skills and build back some confidence for myself without her encouraging words. It was tough but I had no choice but to move forward.

What I found was that I had more in me than I thought. I still had her words of wisdom from years of conversation, I still had other family around me and they all supported me as well. We supported each other. If I felt a feeling of panic or uncertainty come up I was able to call and ask for help or advice. Because we all went through it, we all understood each other and helped each other.

The tips below are what I learned overcoming challenges in life. Each is as important as the other. You are capable of more than you think.

What are some challenges we face in life?

Let’s first take a look at some of the challenges people face in their lives. 

1. Career challenges – forced to start a new job, change careers, leadership issues, advancement issues, not getting fulfillment from your job
2. Health challenges – chronic disease, sickness, limited mobility, managing the loss of a loved one or the health of a loved one
3. Personal challenges – climb a mountain, overcome a fear, run a marathon, start a new hobby, self care
4. Family challenges – balancing family life, time management, care for elderly members, managing household

The lists go on and on, people come face to face with obstacles every day. Some are minor challenges that we can tackle easily. Others are bigger and require more planning, time and care to solve.

Why is it important to know how to overcome challenges in life?

When you face a challenge and work your way through it, you build resilience. You will experience different struggles throughout your life, some large and some small. The more you overcome them, the easier the process to work through them becomes.

Think of a time when you had to work hard at something to succeed at it. Did you feel it boosted your confidence, did it revive some energy deep inside you creating more motivation? It gives you a feeling of success, you begin to believe you are capable of more than you thought!

The more you practice how to overcome challenges in life, the more prepared you will be if one shows up and you have no choice but to work through it.

How to get started with overcoming challenges in life

One of the very first things you need to do is acknowledge the challenge. You can’t move forward if you think you know everything and pretend it is not a challenge. Be honest with yourself. The next thing you need to do is release the feelings associated with it. Maybe you’re disappointed and need a good cry, maybe you’re frustrated and need to let out a scream. Whatever you are feeling is normal and ok, but feel it and then let it pass. If you keep it bottled up, it only swells in your mind and eventually comes out, usually not at a good time.

The guide below is a detailed tool to use when you have an obstacle to overcome or you are experiencing a challenge you just can’t get past. You can print off this free worksheet on how to overcome challenges to help you organize your thoughts and see a one page visual of your plan.

Tips for success in overcoming challenges in life

1. Take a Break

When you need to know how to overcome challenges in life, this is one of the first things to try. Walking away does wonders for clearing your mind. Your mind needs to rest, recharge and refuel. For smaller obstacles, this method is sometimes enough to overcome it. An example could be you get stuck with technology, you tried everything you could think of to fix the issue but nothing works and you’re getting frustrated. A simple break away from the situation helps you calm the emotions and be able to think fresh and clear. You go back and all of a sudden, you think of something new to try and it works. (I do this often, it’s like a little restart for your brain).

For larger obstacles, you need to take a break to find a new perspective. Detach emotionally from the problem. Pretend it is your friend who has the issue. What advice would you give them to help? 

If you just can’t seem to get clarity, take it further and do something you enjoy. Spending time with friends and family does wonders for your mood and mind. Try something creative and work both sides of your brain to get it connected. 

Remember that emotions carry through the day. If you had a hard day at work and you come home to face your challenge, you may not be in the right mindset to tackle it. First take that break and get yourself into the right mood, don’t put yourself in a situation where you will just get frustrated.

2. Ask for Help

This is one a lot of people don’t like to do, but it is key when you want to overcome challenges in life. There’s a stigma around asking for help that makes people think they are weak. The opposite is true, if you can ask for help, you are recognizing that you need it and being strong enough to ask. Who ever said that you have to overcome every challenge on your own? Where would the world be right now if people didn’t learn from others? We would all be doing the same experiments over and over again. Progress comes from moving forward and when necessary, you look for help.  

This is important. Do NOT be ashamed to ask for help. Do NOT be afraid to ask. Believe that you are courageous asking and that you will succeed because you realized you needed someone to help. 

Now that you will ask for help, there are many ways to get it. Ask someone you know who has been through what you are going through. They will help guide you and likely, because they have been through it, take a very real interest in helping you learn how to overcome your challenge. You can read books, there are books out there on basically any topic you want to know about. Try calling a friend, sometimes a listening ear is all you need. Talk about it and maybe as you talk you figure it out. 

No matter where you are in your struggle, never feel like you are alone. There is someone out there who wants to help you and see you succeed.

3. Take a Small Step

When facing a large challenge, for example, deciding on a new career (I use this example because I have gone through it) it can be hard to figure out what to do first. All you see is this massive mountain of new things you have to learn. New skills, people, schedules, learning curves, the list seems endless. Or maybe someone you love has become ill and you want to do everything to help them but the pile of information to take in is overwhelming. How can you even begin to overcome challenges in life when you have no idea where to start?

Break it down into smaller pieces, then take that pile and break it down even more. Use paper and pen or your computer. Take notes and write it down. Once you can visualize it, you can begin to organize your thoughts and figure out what needs to be done first. 

Take a look at the long picture and work your way backwards if you need to. If you know your desired end result, start figuring out what you need to do to get there. Do this at a time when you can focus, distraction free. Once thoughts start to flow, it’s amazing what can come out of it. 

Don’t be afraid if your first step is to calm your mind or breathe. Mindfulness and reflection are successes on their own. Doing something good for yourself is also often a first step. Often when I’m having a bad day and feeling overwhelmed I will take a bike ride, maybe 30 minutes. I did not solve the problem while biking but I feel re-energized after. I did something that was good for me, it boosted my energy and confidence and put me in a place to better be able to tackle the challenge. 

Even the smallest step is a step forward. It will help you get the drive you need to tackle the issue.

4. Believe in Yourself

When you are challenged, you are usually questioning the belief in yourself. You need to keep your negative thoughts in check. Before you sit down, give yourself a positive affirmation. Some examples could be “I can do this”, “I am proud of myself for taking this on”, “I will not worry about the things I cannot control”, or I don’t have to be perfect”. Choose something that feels right to you. 

It is also important to remind yourself how far you have already come, especially as new challenges arise. Why not take a moment right now to see how far you have come, it will help. Even if you have only come to step one of realizing you have a challenge you need to overcome. It is a huge step forward, so show yourself some love and gratitude for that.

Frequently Asked Questions

The last thing you need to know!

This is a beginners guide on how to overcome challenges in life. If you were to take some time to reflect on your life you will find that you have actually overcome many already. The main thing to take away when you finish this post is to realize that you have to power within you to do this. You have already done it hundreds of times! This guide is here to remind you of the steps to begin with when you feel like you cannot see a way past the obstacle.

Use this free worksheet on how to overcome challenges in life and let me know how you overcame a challenge and what was the hardest part for you.