Who, not what, is holding you back?

July 21, 2014

Who’s holding you back? You already spend time thinking about what you want in life, but how often do you consider why you have yet to achieve what you want? What is your barrier to what you need on your route?

Maybe your company isn’t providing enough support. Maybe your DM has yet to really analyze your route and offer advice. Maybe you think customers are taking advantage through liberal interpretation of their responsibilities with your TP arrangments. It’s time to realize that most of your barriers are created by you. Here are 10 steps in eliminating the things in life that hold you back.

1. Examine your thoughts

How you think about yourself and your opportunities are in direct alignment with your results. Believe in yourself and your ability to create the results you want to achieve. Sometimes your thoughts are ingrained so deeply you are not even aware of how negative they may be. Make a conscious effort to replay your thoughts during the day. Recognize negative thoughts and discard them, then replace them with positive and encouraging thoughts. Continue this process until you have retrained your thoughts to be naturally positive and encouraging

2. Clarity

Lack of clarity can weaken your progress. If you know you want to do something different but have not brought clarity to the results you are trying to achieve, you are stifling your progress. Invest time in yourself and your future by allocating time to contemplate the results you wish to achieve. If you have become frustrated and confused about what you really want, this is where you begin. Each day create an environment (meditate, take a walk, relax) where you can clear your mind and place yourself into your desired future. 

3. Habits and choices

Your habits lead to the choices you make (consciously or subconsciously) which bring the results you currently have. If you want to change your results, you must change your habits and choices. Once you have examined your thoughts and created clarity on your future, you must bring your habits and choices into awareness.

4. Eliminate self-justifications

If you want to make progress you must stop justifying that it’s OK to be where you are. Be aware of justifications that take you out of the game: “It’s too hard; it will take too long; I’m not smart enough; customers just don’t understand; change is not safe; the economy is so bad I should be grateful for what I have; I’ll start tomorrow.”

The reality is dealing with justifications will feel as if you are arguing with yourself. Your head wants you to stay safe and will sound intelligent as it tries to keep you from making progress.

5. Eliminate the blame game

Until you are willing to take full responsibility for your results, blame will seem appropriate. While blaming, you become a victim and changing your results will become impossible. Why? Because if you are blaming others, you are telling yourself you have had no say in where you have ended up in life and it is someone else’s responsibility to change your results. Eliminating blame releases a shadow over your thoughts, and you begin to see the accountability you have had all along and the opportunities that are all around you.

6. Self-reliance

Create a healthy reliance on yourself to succeed. Although you want to realize the responsibility you have over your own results, you also want to avoid having an attitude of having to do it all. As you determine what your goals are, begin to consider what you need and who can help you achieve each of your goals.

7. Lack of accountability

Taking responsibility and accountability go hand-in-hand. As you begin to create clarity around your desired results, it’s important to have accountability built into your progress. Without accountability, it’s easier for justification to start derailing you which can delay your ability to meet goals.

8. Lack of knowledge

It has been said the only thing standing between where you are and where you want to be is learning. Knowledge is a valuable tool. Don’t let your education discontinue once you have finished tool school. Keep up on new tools and new business ideas by talking with other distributors and attending the annual tool rallies and regular district/regional meetings. And you can always look for more business help on your own through the web, local library and elsewhere.

9. Fear of pain or failure

Fear has to be one of the most powerful emotions you’re facing. This can create significant momentum for change or shut you down all together, preventing any progress from occurring. How fear affects each person is going to be very different. Your fear will expand and possibly elevate and intensify to a level much greater than it actually is upon experiencing it. Keep in mind that the degree of your fear will be relevant to the change you are experiencing.

10. Relationships

The reality is you will live up to, or down to, the standards of those with whom you spend most of your time. It is in these personal and professional relationships you have found comfort. Evaluate these relationships and begin to reduce negative influences. Although listed as a final step, this is one of the most important places to begin. Through your habits, beliefs and actions, you have strategically aligned with people who influence your outcome. Ensure you are continuously looking at the relationship alignments you have created within your life. 

In reading these 10 steps, you have already created an awareness of barriers that may be present in your life. Continue to recognize that if something or someone is perceived to be holding you back that you have the absolute power to remove these barriers by knowing and following these steps every day.

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