How to Overcome Obstacles Challenges are what make us stronger. They are the things that help to define us.

By Lewis Howes Edited by Dan Bova

This story originally appeared on Lewis Howes

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I've had a huge number of people tell me they enjoyed my past solo rounds and that they wanted more of them. As a result, I wanted to make this episode about the five biggest obstacles I have overcome in my life.

I know you've gone through your own number of challenges, and you're probably going through some right now. It might feel like life is just throwing you one thing after another -- oftentimes, it is.

Every time we overcome something there is always another thing that will come our way. However, I want you to know, it's not a bad thing. These challenges are what make us stronger. They are the things that help to define us, and prepare us for a bigger and better life.

They don't have to be giant immovable boulders that make it impossible to achieve what you want, unless you let them.

You can either choose to let them happen to you and become excuses, holding you down from what you want, or you can let them happen for you, and let them be a defining factor that makes you a better person who can contribute more to the world around you.

At any point when I was dealing with these obstacles, I could have let them keep me down. I could have thrown in the towel and accepted a life of mediocrity. But I didn't.

Instead, I chose to power through them. I let my course in life change, and I've become so much happier than I ever could have if I had let myself become a victim of circumstance.

I know people have been through so much more than I have. In fact, you may have been through even worse things. But, for me, these were defining obstacles I had to overcome.

I wanted to share them with you and give you some inspiration. To let you know how I overcame these things, in hopes they can somehow help you overcome your own challenges, whether it's now or in the future.

Listen this episode to learn about the five biggest obstacles I overcame, and how I did it, on Episode 640.

Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play or TuneIn.

Lewis Howes

New York Times Bestselling Author, Entrepreneur, Coach

Lewis Howes is a New York Times bestselling author of The School of Greatness and The Mask of Masculinity. He is a lifestyle entrepreneur, high performance business coach and keynote speaker. A former professional football player and two-sport All-American, he is a current USA Men’s National Handball Team athlete. He hosts a top 100 iTunes ranked Apple podcast, The School of Greatness. Howes was recognized by the White House and President Obama as one of the top 100 entrepreneurs in the country under 30. Details magazine called him one of “5 Internet Guru’s that can Make You Rich.”  Howes has been featured on Ellen, Good Morning America, The Today Show, The New York Times, People, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Men’s Health and other major media outlets.

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