How well can you swim? I think I’m a pretty good swimmer, but I don’t want my airplane landing in the ocean. How about you? But using your seat cushion as a flotation device is a real possibility if you are on a plane from JFK airport (New York, NY) to LAX airport (Los Angeles, CA) and that plane flies off course 1 degree. Only 1 single degree… it seems like such a small inconsequential amount but the results can be life changing.

In airplanes, missing your destination can result in outcomes ranging from the minor, inconvenience, to the catastrophic and tragic. The same principle is true with our lives and our goals. If you are not committed and determined to staying on course, you can easily find yourself drifting. And the longer that you travel “off course”, the further you will be from your desired destination (results). In our airplane example, a plane that is off by 1 degree will end up 1 mile off course for every 60 miles traveled; meaning our JFK plane from above would end up 40 miles away from Los Angeles.

Throughout your success journey there will be times when you need to readjust and reorient yourself, get back on the path. No one can walk the path to success directly without making adjustments. The key to arriving at your destination is to recognize when you are off course and make the adjustment quickly, bringing yourself back in line with your desired outcomes. 1 way that we can do this is to recognize the obstacles that will challenge us.

Here are the 8 most common obstacles that will try to lead you off the path of success.

1. Imposter syndrome– not believing in yourself and your goals. Everybody experiences a little self-doubt, that feeling that you are not “good enough” or “worthy enough” to have success. Even those you look up to as mentors and leaders experience self-doubt.

• Solution- Remember the quote by SNL’s Stuart Smalley – “I’m Good Enough, I’m Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me!” Recognize that you have talents and abilities that others don’t have. To be truly successful you must learn to overcome self-limitation and rise above doubt.

2. Over extending– having too much on your plate to get it all done. Sometimes in our desire to please everybody we set ourselves up for failure. We take on more than we can accomplish effectively and accurately. Often the area that suffers from this overextension is our personal goals and desires as we try to meet the needs of others.

• Solution- Remember the Paolo Coelho quote – “When You Say Yes To Others, Make Sure You’re Not Saying No To Yourself.” Choose yourself, your dreams and aspirations first before agreeing to give time to others.

3. Shiny object syndrome– chasing every new technology, strategy or process can distract you from what you need to accomplish. Rather than seeing objectives through to completion, you abandon goals already started and chase after something new that has caught your eye.

• Solution- Remember the Gabby Douglas quote- “It’s very tough for me to focus. I’m like: ‘Look, something shiny! No, focus. Oh, there goes a butterfly!’”. Focusing on your objective without distraction is vital to staying on course. No, focus!

4. Fear of failure– There will always be the possibility of failure. If there isn’t you haven’t set your objectives high enough. Don’t be petrified by possibility of failure and miss the opportunity of success.

• Solution- Remember the Michael Jordan quote- “I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.” The real failure is in not trying.

5. Failure to launch– ready aim aim aim…. Many “would be” successful goal-setters miss their objective because they never get out of the planning and preparing stage. They find paralysis by analysis more comforting that progress.

• Solution- Remember the Francis of Assisi quote- “Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible”. Just start and as you move down the path, opportunity and answers will appear.

6. Lack of clarity– As Zig Ziglar inquired “are you a meaningful specific or a wandering generality”? If you do not know the steps needed to reach your destination you will not take the shortest route to success. You will wander aimlessly hoping to stumble upon it; always busy but never productive.

• Solution- Remember the Brendon Burchard quote- “People are remarkably bad at remembering long lists of goals….the longer their lists of to-dos and goals, the more overwhelmed and off-track they got. Clarity comes with simplicity”. Having a road map and a simple direction will keep you on course.

7. No end in mind– related to clarity, no end in mind is not understanding what you really want out of life. The result will be missing success. How can you hit a target you do not have? You must have goals to hit and dreams to aspire to.

• Solution- Remember the Lewis Carrol quote- “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.”

8. Listening to critics and naysayers– The world is filled with people willing to tear you down and trample your dreams. If you listen to the critics, the nonbelievers, you will be distracted and begin to drift off course. The more you surround yourself with negativity, the more you become a part of that negativity. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy.

• Solution- Remember the Paolo Coelho quote- “[C]ritics don’t hurt me, because it is me. If it was not me, if I was pretending to be someone else, then this could unbalance my world, but I know who I am”. Knowing who you are, that your dream has value, and igniting your passion for it with shut even the most obnoxious critic up.

There will always be obstacles. The more something is worth to you the more you may have to fight for it. Do not let anything stand in the way of your success. As you get closer to achieving your goals, as your success destination gets closer, the above 8 obstacles will be more present. Commit now to reaching your potential.

Wanting something is not enough. You must hunger for it. Your motivation must be absolutely compelling in order to overcome the obstacles that will invariably come your way. – Les Brown

A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles. – Christopher Reeve

Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal. – Henry Ford

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Don’t wait for someone to take you under their wing.

Find a good wing and climb up underneath it. – Frank Bucaro

Mentors and mentorship are a hot topic these days. Everyone talks about the importance of finding and working with someone who has walked the path and had success; someone who knows the pitfalls and can warn you about them. I have been fortunate throughout my life to have many mentors that have been very impactful, setting me on the right course.

But how do you find a mentor? The types of people who make the best mentors are typically very busy. They have achieved a level of expertise and standing in their field because they have put in the time, made the connections and persevered through the difficult times. While they are generous and want to help they are often reluctant to accept a request to be a mentor. This may be because of timing or (maybe most often) it stems from a lack of understanding of what being a mentor entails.

Looking for a mentor is a proactive endeavor. I have never had the experience of a mentor calling me on the phone and offering to guide me down a path. I suppose if you have a really great product or if you have achieved a level of fame, complete with venture funding, a mentor might seek you out, But, for the rest of us, it is our responsibility to find the right mentor. So, how do you do it?

1. Look for people in your industry or with similar interests and create opportunities to interact. Do you go to the same charity events, sit on similar boards, go to the same church or do your kids attend the same schools. Why not?
2. Reach out to experts who write on your interests- one misunderstanding with mentors is that they have to spend a certain amount of consistent time mentoring you. This is not true. A mentor could spend 5 minutes responding to your email. That may be the only interaction that you have with your mentor but that five minutes could be valuable. Many of my mentors have never known the impact they have had on me through their writing or podcasts.
3. Ask for referrals. Talk to people in your industry or to family and friends. Who do they mention as inspiring? Is there someone that consistently comes up in conversation?
4. Workshops and industry conferences- you should try to attend conferences within your target niche. See what other people are saying on your topic of interest. While there you will be inspired and may have opportunities to become acquainted with or listen to experts in your field. Or, you may interact with someone who isn’t an expert yet, but is up and coming. One of these people could make a great mentor.
5. Online- do not overlook the power of an online mentor-mentee relationship. Through various social channels you will encounter people who have walked down the path you are walking and can offer to assist with the learning curve. The web has opened up opportunities to be mentored from places not geographically close to you.

Over the years I have had a very strong relationship with one particular mentor. He is one of the most successful people I have ever met and worked with. We originally crossed paths when I was sent out to do some consulting with him. It turned out he was more of an expert than I was.

Rather than feeling threatened or embarrassed I embraced the opportunity to listen to his suggestions. A couple weeks after that initial meeting I called him up and asked if I could buy him lunch and discuss the topic more. He said “no”; he would buy lunch. Since that day we have met many many times.

As my directions have changed so has our mentoring relationship. We seldom talk about the original topic and he now advises me on life and my new opportunities. That one phone call has changed the way I approach life and I am more successful today because of my mentor. It all started with finding a wing to climb up under and not waiting for the mentorship fairy to come along.

 Question: What has been your experience with mentors/mentees? How do you approach the relationship? Leave your comments below or by clicking here.