In this episode of My Extra Mile, Shawn and Kari-Lyn Owen share a philosophy you can embed in everyday decisions to move you forward in your life. It helps you view your setbacks and obstacles differently so that the biggest setbacks can be some of your greatest learning lessons. You can have the greatest why, but if you can’t identify and work through your obstacles, it’s far harder to reach your goals. They share the powerful framework that helped them start reaching their goals in 4 simple steps. You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...   The ‘WOOP’ principal that Shawn and Kari-Lyn live by How to identify and overcome obstacles How WOOP can be applied to simple and extraordinary goals How to recapture the art of dreaming The process of self-discovery to reach your inner struggles How to integrate this framework into your life How to start small and work your way to larger goals How to utilize this strategy with your family   ‘WOOP’ is a 4-step system created by Gabriele Oettingen that is professionally referred to as Mental Contrasting with Implementation Intentions (MCII). It’s a well-researched way to help YOU achieve your goals. How does it work?   W: What is your ultimate Wish? O: What is the Outcome of that wish? O: What are the Obstacles that stand in your way? P: What plan will you implement to overcome those obstacles?   Before implementing this system in their life, Shawn & Kari-Lyn never felt prepared for major obstacles. This was their missing piece.   Human beings tend to look at success stories and see the result. You don’t see all of the muck in the middle. Shawn points out that when you look at the obstacles you’ve overcome, that’s where the richness comes from. You don’t love it in the moment because you can’t see the end. But those obstacles are where the breakthroughs happen. He states that “You can’t create success without having some challenge along the way.” You must identify obstacles to overcome them   When you know the obstacles that could be in your path you can plan for them. Shawn and Kari-Lyn emphasize that you must have a strong enough desire to succeed. Working through the obstacles needs to feel worth it. If the outcome of your wish isn’t strong enough to overcome the obstacle, it won’t happen.   What does your wish look like? What will it feel like for yourself? Your family? Break the obstacles down into mini obstacles. Do you believe you can do this? Shawn and Kari-Lyn share the extraordinary goal that they’re working toward and how they break the process don’t. Listen to hear what their process looks like! Stop using external excuses to hide an internal struggle   Shawn believes that most people start with an external excuse such as “I don’t have enough time” or “I don’t have enough money.” But those external excuses always come down to an internal issue. Most core issues stem from a belief that you aren’t worthy or aren’t good enough. It takes a brave person to allow themselves to go to that level.   They emphasize that you need to look for patterns. When else do these excuses show up in your life? When has this happened in the past? Was there a life-defining moment in your childhood where your internal conversation became “I’m not good enough” or “I’m not lovable?” When you know the root cause you can acknowledge what’s happening and look at your behavior to decipher: Is this moving me towards my goal? Or away from my goal? Implement this strategy in everyday life   Just like anything else, incorporating this into your life takes practice. It’s just like an athletic coach who doesn’t start a beginner with something they’d expect an expert to do. Shawn suggests starting with something small. As you begin to reach those small goals, it motivates you to continue reaching towards the large goals. Look for evidence that this works with something simple. Get the little wins, build the muscle, and then aim for bigger goals.   Their final piece of advice? Whatever is ha