In December I made a commitment to regain muscle mass I had lost over the years.  I chose the Happy Body Program.  There are quite a few podcasts that talk about my progress. It was exciting in the first six weeks to drop from 28% body fat to 23%.  However, now, the honeymoon is over.  I know the exercises, have reached my ideal body weight, and have a good routine established.  It will be many more months to get my muscle mass increased to ideal and then after that I continue with a daily practice for life to maintain my strength.  The excitement is gone.  This has got me thinking about the five universal obstacles to change.  I desire to continue with the Happy Body exercises with ease and joy and I fear they will end up being a chore and I may just drop them.  Yikes!  I need a surefire way to keep up the excitement with ease.
I remember first learning the obstacles I will share next and the simple solutions or antidotes.  They were originally taught to me as the five obstacles to meditation and attributed to the Buddha.  They seemed so simple, yet I could really appreciate how they summed up the problems that arise when we attempt to add something new to our lives or create positive change.  What most impressed me about the teaching was that the solutions were very simple and, in my experience, effective.
The five obstacles are:

* Doubt
* Not wanting to do it (aka laziness)
* Attraction to other things like drug of choice or other things that don’t really get you the change you said you desired.
* Resentments, ill will, aversions
* Worry, restlessness, distractions

 
DOUBT 
Doubt can take two forms.  First, it can be doubt as to whether what you are going to do is possible.  For instance, is never getting angry really possible? Or,is it possible to stop the constant chatter of the mind.  Is it possible to be healthy and only 13% body fat.  Does this method I am considering really work?  Or is someone just after my money.  Is it really possible for someone to start their own business and succeed?  Can I get ahead in life without lying or cheating?  If I give money away, will I have enough money?  You get the idea.  Is what you desire possible?  You can’t really stick with something long if you are not sure it will work.
Second, one can have doubt regarding their personal capabilities.  For instance, you might know that a method has worked for others, but wonder if it will work for you?  Other people may have stopped the stream of constant mind chatter, but maybe they are special.  You may wonder if you are capable of doing it too?  Or, others are successful at business, but maybe I do not have what it takes.  Being unsure you can do it often stops people from even attempting to do it.  It is a serious obstacle.
The remedy for doubt is to get more information.  Read about what you are going to do.  Talk to people that are doing it and/or have done it.  Try it as an experiment to see if it might work.  You want to thoroughly check out any method you might want to use.  Find people that have used it and check out the results they got.  This method of investigation will allow you to become convinced that it works.
At the same time, consider other options.  Is there a better method for you?  Can you adapt the method to fit your personal style?  And most importantly consider what happens if you don’t do it?  How will your life be?  Even if the method doesn’t deliver 100% will your life be better if you go for it?
NOT WANTING TO DO IT
The next obstacle is just not wanting to do it.  Sometimes this is translated as laziness. I have a clear personal example of what this obstacle looks like.
I have a history of compulsive eating.  At one point I was in a 12-step program to help me deal with my eating disorder.  There was one point where I started overeating again.  I didn’t want the results.