Overcoming Obstacles

1) Obstacles are lessons. What do you think is meant by this sentence? Why is it valuable to think of an obstacle as a lesson?

2) It’s helpful to view obstacles as challenges that can be broken down into smaller goals. What is the difference between an obstacle and a challenge? Why is it helpful to view a challenge as a series of small goals?

3) Sometimes, we create our own obstacles by paying attention to drama. It’s best to keep it simple. Why do you think it is so easy to pay attention to drama in our daily experiences? Why is it a good idea to ignore drama in the situations we encounter?

4) It’s important to rely on yourself and others to help overcome obstacles. To rely on someone means to trust that they will be there for you. Why is it important to rely on people you can trust when overcoming obstacles? Name some people you think would be helpful to you if you were trying to overcome an obstacle.

5) The video told viewers that life is not a sprint; it’s a marathon! What is the difference between a sprint and a marathon? Do you agree it is better to think of life as a marathon than a sprint? Why or why not?

6) You are going to make mistakes. Explain what people mean when they say, “It’s important to learn from your mistakes.” Tell about a mistake you made that you learned from.

7) One role model said to ask yourself, “How badly do I want that thing on the other side of the obstacle?” What do you think she meant by this? Explain your answer. Tell about a time when you felt it was very important for you to try to overcome an obstacle. Tell about a time when you felt it was not very important for you to try to overcome an obstacle.

I’ve learned that obstacles are what we consider roadblocks or, let’s say, somebody is in your way for what you want to do. Those things are lessons.

We deal with obstacles every day, right? And you have to make a decision. Either we can deal with it straight on. You can bring other people to help you in dealing with this obstacle. There are different options. And I think that life experiences help you decide which way to go.

I overcome obstacles by setting a goal and then breaking it down to task level because sometimes the goal is overwhelming. Sometimes overcoming an obstacle is more than I can think about all at once. But if I break that obstacle down into bite-sized pieces and just handle a little bit at a time, it makes it so I can overcome it.

I try to tell myself it’s just a challenge because my initial emotional response – this isn’t a logical response; it’s an emotional response – is to feel that fear and anxiety and nervousness, and that’s all natural, and there’s nothing wrong with that. And I tell myself, “Don’t get down on yourself for feeling scared. There’s nothing wrong with that.” But then you need to take a moment and say, “What is it that I have to do to try to attempt to overcome this obstacle or challenge?”

I think that you have to be very realistic about what you can do. There are some things that you have control over; there’s some things that you don’t. And so part of overcoming an obstacle is really trying to understand what is it that you have control over, and then how can you use those things that you have control over to make whatever this situation is better?

Sometimes as young girls, we create our own obstacles, right? And we create more drama than is necessary. I think keeping it simple is is easy and never forgetting to ask for help. We can’t always do it alone.

You overcome obstacles by looking to yourself and saying, “I can do this,” and by not being afraid to seek advice, help, collaborations.

Don’t let the obstacle change you. There’s a time to speak up; there’s a time to let things ride because sometimes things do resolve themselves. If you change, you’ve gotten off your path.

What’s really a true test of how badly you want to overcome the obstacle is how badly do you want the item on the other side of the obstacle? So you persevere. Life, it’s not a sprint; it’s a marathon.

You’re going to make mistakes. It’s how quickly do you learn from and act differently based on those mistakes that can help you actually pursue something. And so an obstacle is just an opportunity for you to learn how to do it better. If you’re really going to get to this end goal, then everything in your way is just something you got to step on or push to the side or use to your advantage in some way.

Independent Learning Guide: This all-purpose guide can be used by educators, parents, and mentors to jumpstart a lively discussion about overcoming obstacles.

Classroom Lesson Plan: This step-by-step lesson plan is available to guide a more in-depth “before, during, and after” learning experience when viewing the video with students. This lesson plan is also suitable for use in after-school programs and other educational settings.

Use Empowerment Activities as a fun way to reinforce the video topic and build community with your students.

• Obstacle Course

Related Empowerment Activities:

• Make Your Own Puzzle
• Lateral Thinking Problems

Fun Page Activity: Sometimes obstacles are all in the way you think about something. Practice turning limiting thoughts like “I might make a mistake” into empowering messages to yourself. (Everyone makes mistakes, and I can learn from mine.)