In life, sometimes things come up that get in the way of the plans that we have. They can be sickness, a death in the family, or whatever else that you couldn’t see coming that changed or halted your life plans. That’s okay though. Life happens and we have to just roll with the punches in situations like these. Here is some advice on how to handle life when it gets in the way of your plans

You have to just step back and assess the situation. Sometimes it may just add a kink to your plan but doesn’t necessarily change it. While this can be annoying, it isn’t long-term and you can usually find a way around it. For example, to get in the Speech-Language Pathology program and do observations, I had to get shots and have blood drawn for my medical update. Needles and blood just terrify me (one of the reasons I couldn’t be a nurse). So this threw a loop into my plans because I had to get multiple vials of blood drawn, a shot and two TB tests (which involved needles). Though I didn’t like it, I had to think about why I was doing it. I was pursuing my dream job. I couldn’t let something as silly as being afraid of needles get in my way of pursuing my dream so I just had to overcome my fear of needles. I would get very anxious when the appointments would come up but I had to remember why I was doing it, and before I knew it, the process was over and it wasn’t as bad as I thought.

You have to really step back and analyze yourself in the situation when stuff like this comes up and either do it or don’t. My thought process was always, “Well, it may be unpleasant but I just have to do it.” Now, I don’t really have a fear of needles. I overcame the mental block I created for myself.

Sometimes these “roadblocks” can’t be that easily overcome. Major life changes can happen and can prevent or slow you down from achieving your goals. For example, having a child can be a great life experience, but in college or at the wrong time, it can throw a loop into your plans. It doesn’t mean that it's necessarily a bad thing, but you’ll have to shift your focus and adjust accordingly. You have to make choices in your life on what the next step is. This could go for any other life changes that happen, such as losing your job, losing a loved one, a divorce, a marriage, getting ill, etc. Some life changes can be very positive and positively impact your life, such as having a baby, getting married, moving across the state or country to go to college or get a job. Some can be quite negative and drastically change your life plans, such as a death, losing your home, a divorce, etc.

It takes an adjustment period no matter if the life change is positive or negative. Sometimes you’ll end up having to change your goals and that’s okay. Life won’t run smoothly 100% of the time. We have to make adjustments for ourselves. Even something so simple as a fear of needles and blood can come up and you’ll either have to face it or come up with another plan. For me, my goal was more important than my fear. Sometimes it may not always be that simple, but you’ll have to get through it and because of it, you’ll be a stronger person.