Anyone who wants to achieve a Big Goal will encounter obstacles.  That is natural.  Anytime you try to do something outside the norm, you will face resistance.  Not only will the world present challenges, but you can even experience resistance from your own mind.  While talent and hard work are helpful on the road to success, the most important skill is the ability to overcome the obstacles that you will face along the way.  To that end, below are five ways to face these challenges and realize your goals.

1. Don’t Give Up Too Soon: Working toward a goal is like training to be an athlete. If you work at a physical skill, you naturally will hit plateaus where you don’t seem to be making any progress.  Then suddenly you will take a big leap forward in your abilities.  It is the same with working to achieve a goal.  There will be a period when nothing seems to be happening.  It is discouraging, and many people prematurely give up at this point.  Those who ultimately achieve great things are those who keep plugging away even when it seems like they aren’t making progress.
2. Don’t Share Your Dream Too Soon: Dreams are fragile things. They are like eggs.  The smallest bump can crack them wide open.  When you are in the beginning stages of creating a Big Goal, you are very vulnerable.  There is little to no basis for you, or anyone else, to believe that you could achieve that goal.  If you share your dream at this stage, you’ll get lots of well-meaning advice, like “I’m not sure that is where your talents lie.”  Or, “You should probably approach that goal prudently.  Maybe take a college course or do an internship!”  The problem is that when you have a Big Goal, you need to be confident so that you can attack it head on.  You don’t need permission to pursue your dream.  So keep it to yourself for a while.  Protect it, and keep the naysayers at bay.
3. Do a Little Bit Each Day: Inertia is the enemy when you are working toward a goal. You have to do something toward achieving your goal each day. That includes weekends!  Even if it is only 15 minutes of work on some days, that keeps the momentum going.  When you are trying to achieve a big goal, much of the process is mental.  When you keep moving, you keep those “worry” thoughts at bay, like “I have no business pursuing this dream.  I’m not qualified.”  Yes, you are!  Just keep at it.
4. Pretend You Are Getting Paid, Even When You Aren’t: Very often, when we pursue dreams, we feel a little foolish because there is no money in sight. Don’t let that stop you!  No one who ever achieved anything great started by making six-figures at it from the get go.  Every great achievement has started with an idea – an unpaid idea.  Then there is faith in that idea, followed by hard work and eventual success.  Believe in your idea, and believe that the time you spend today working toward your goal will be paid for in the future.
5. Don’t Pay Attention to the “Experts”: There is no career or goal for which you can’t find some “expert” who will tell you that what you are trying to do is impossible. If I could outlaw anything on the Internet, it would be the millions of articles where self-proclaimed experts tell people that what they want to do is absurdly hard and to keep your expectations very low.  I shudder to think how many great writers, artists, musicians, and leaders the world will never see because someone told them that what they are trying to do is “impossible” or that only 1% of people can achieve that goal.  Ignore those people and let them live in mediocrity.  If you wish to achieve big dreams, go for it!  People don’t decide whether your goals will be achieved.  Only God does.

God places dreams in our hearts for a reason – so that we can fulfill them.  And in the process of fulfilling them, and overcoming obstacles, hopefully we can grow in character and maturity and become the best that God created us to be.