Once you’ve set your goals, don’t make the mistake of assuming that the road to realizing your carefully crafter planned for success is going to be smoothly paved. Life doesn’t work that way. Instead, you will probably be faced with a street filled with potholes. This is why you have to anticipate those potholes and construction signs. Learning from and adapting to change is part of the journey.

Most of us have heard of Tony Robbins, the powerful motivational speaker and best selling author. Tony Robbins knows full well about a journey that involves changing and adapting. First, his family name isn’t even Robbins, it’s Mahavorick. And he was not always the buff presence he is today. Believe it or not, there was a time when he was overweight and depressed. But he got motivated (by another motivational speaker) and developed a unique neurolinguistic program that is the basis of his philosophy and teachings. His famous fire-walking seminars teach participants the strategies of control: mind over body and logic rules over pain.

His message is to always keep your wits about you. When unexpected obstacles block your path, use your head. Don’t let a little thing like a hot coal burn your feet. Keep walking, with your goal of completing the path uppermost in your mind. Later, you can look back and say, “Ouch! Boy did that hurt! But it’s over, and I won!”