Is there an obstacle in your path?

Four Road Blocks to Success

If you want to win, you’ve got to start. ~John Maxwell

Do you have trouble getting started?

Do you have an idea that has been a dream for a while, maybe even a few years, but you’ve just never gotten around to doing anything about it?

Maybe you took a step or two in that direction but ran up against a road block and quit.  You’re not sure if you should even keep trying.  Was the road block a sign that you should give it up?

Maybe you’ve been stopped dead in your tracks by an unexpected event?  a family member’s actions that were totally unexpected?  a change in routine?  a bump in your career path?

In the movie A Bug’s Life, the ants are stopped short by a road block, a leaf in their path.  Here’s how the problem is solved:

What about you?  Is there an obstacle in your path?  Are you waiting for something to happen?  While getting started is an action step, many times it is our internal critical voice that prohibits us from taking that first step.

Four Key Roadblocks to Getting Started

• Not knowing exactly what you want. If you haven’t yet set a goal it’s hard to achieve. Many times we distract ourselves by identifying so many possibilities that we are overwhelmed with the choices. We say things like, “I could do anything…if I only knew what it was that I wanted to do.” This involves giving ourselves permission to take imperfect action. Pick one or two goals and put 100% of your effort into achieving it. You can always backtrack to other minor goals later.

• We know what we want but we are afraid to commit to it. We are afraid we may fail. We secretly have a desire, a goal but we are afraid that if others knew about it, we would be turned down, rejected, embarrassed. This involves giving ourselves permission to make mistakes. When things don’t work out we say things like, “I guess it just wasn’t meant to be.” or “I guess I’m just not cut out for this.” We are actually cheating ourselves with this one. The universe is often more willing to support us in achieving our goals than we recognize. Failure is often a stepping stone to success.

• We are afraid of success. Just as fear of failure can paralyze us, so can fear of success. What if we don’t really know what to do, how to act, how to perform? What if we are overwhelmed with the responsibility of success, the amount of time and energy that it requires? What if we are successful and it turns out not to be what we expect it to be? This fear involves giving ourselves permission to be vulnerable.  Again our internal voice is paralyzing us with what if questions. We may say, “What if I succeed and everyone thinks I know everything and then find out I don’t?” We fail to recognize the flexibility, the power and the control that we have in any given situation.

• We know what we want but we don’t know the steps, or the way to achieve it. This is a research question. There is always someone who has gone before us in all that we do. We need to find a role model and connect with them to discover how they were successful. We can then design our own way.  This involves giving ourselves permission to invest in ourselves because we are worth it. So often we fail to move forward because we don’t feel that we are worth the money, time or energy that it takes to learn and grow exponentially.

Are you staring at a leaf in your path? Are you waiting for the obstacle to magically disappear? How long have you been waiting? What if it’s possible to walk around the leaf?  

Sound like a daunting job? It is difficult but not impossible. Roadblocks can be cleared and the road paved for success. Where do you want to be this time next year?  in five years?  Give yourself permission to take imperfect action, invest in yourself, be vulnerable and make mistakes.

Walk around the leaf…

Need someone to help you walk around the leaf?

Want to discover your unique calling and reinvent your life?

Need a coach to help you move forward?

Email me to set up a complementary coaching clarity call:  dream@lynnewatts.com

Kim Yarborough