Everyone has a desire to be and do more in life however, there are things that hold us back when we decide that we are going to chase our dreams. Here are 3 barriers we encounter when making the first step towards our future and how we can overcome them:
- You (The Enemy Within)
Now we all heard of the saying that “you are your worst critic”. This is sad but true. We tend to beat ourselves up with negative self-talk, we say things like “I am so stupid, there is no way, I can get that promotion at work, “I am not good enough to lead others… I just don’t have what it takes” ……“I am not a good enough mom or dad to help my son or daughter with life experiences, I dropped out of school, why would he or she listen to me……, “I am not qualified by education so, I can’t get another job…….” Does this sound familiar? Are these some things you may have said to yourself? Or have you set unrealistic goals and standards that you know that you cannot attain?
Overcoming the enemy within, is one of the most simple but difficult barriers to tackle however, it can be done. The first step in tackling yourself is to acknowledge that you are your worst critic. Then combat your negative self-talk with positive affirmations. For example, if you keep telling yourself that you are not enough to be a parent, you write down an affirmation that states “I am a great mother, I am enough” and you read your affirmation out loud each day until it becomes a true statement in your mind.
- Fear of the Unknown
Some of us have grown content with mediocrity and not because we enjoy being average but because we are afraid of the unknown. Since fear is considered to be a natural human instinct, we continue to live regimented lives that consist of routines. Fearing the unknown does not lend itself to developing our gifts or talent however, we still have difficulties overcoming this obstacle.
Someone once told me that my dreams are on the other side of my comfort zone. Overcoming the fear of the unknown has a lot to do with understanding why you are having a hard time stepping out of your comfort zone, whether it is due to past hurts, failures, life experience, or human nature. Then facing that situation head on by taking the first step while keeping in mind that the word “Fear” simply means “False Evidence Appearing Real” so that you can continue to press around. In addition, you want to keep in mind that failures will still occur however, with each failure there is a lesson.
- Avoiding Pain
It is also human nature to avoid pain by any means necessary. So, when we fail on our journey to success we stop because we don’t see the benefit of enduring anymore pain. However, if babies gave up after falling a few times when trying to walk then where would be all be now? Babies endure in order to explore and become a master at their craft! So why can’t we do that as adults now?
The only way to overcome pain is to understand that pain is the inevitable. We will all experience pain at one point in life, like it or not. What we do with that pain is what is important to our growth. We must embrace the pain, then learn from the experience and continue to move on. You must remember that pain builds endurance.
Investing in ourselves is one of the most important investments we will make in life therefore, in understanding the top 3 enemies of growth and change, you now have 3 ways to defeat your enemy of choice and to continue to work on your personal growth without worrying about, negative self-talk, living a life of mediocrity or the fear of enduring pain.
Continue to explore our site, and stay tuned for related articles on topics such as Believing your Stereotype, Fixed Mindset and how Old Friends Hate the New You.
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