Breaking Through Barriers to Reach Your Goals!
Have you ever had a big goal that you were so excited to accomplish and then you just gave up on it?
One of the reasons we do not face our goals is because when we are faced with an unexpected barrier that we're unsure how to deal with, we shut down. We become discouraged, we start making excuses, and we allow ourselves to back off of our original plan. While this is a human and natural tendency, it's not conducive to success.
God places these big goals in our spirit because He knows that we can accomplish them. He knows that we have the tools within us to succeed, but we have to be willing to go through all of the obstacles and stay the course in order to get there.
An important step that you can take to avoid this barrier blunder is that of carefully planning your goal to include backup plans for all those little "what ifs” and get into spiritual alignment with God.
"What if I don't pass the prerequisite course?"
"What if I don't get the loan?"
"What if I run out of time?"
"What if the marketing doesn't work?"
"What if I just don't feel like it?"
These are all very real barriers that keep us from realizing our life dreams. By planning for them, we greatly improve our chances of succeeding and experience the power of being unstoppable.
What kind of barriers can you preplan?
Internal Barriers
Internal barriers include the thoughts you have about your goal, success, and yourself that keep you from being successful. They include your personal fears, motivation, self-esteem, and paradigms.
"What if I just don't feel like doing my assignment?"
Solution - commit to working on it for at least 15 minutes. Then take a break and come back to it later
"What if my fear of the phone keeps me from following through on my marketing campaign?"
Solution - have a friend help me make phone calls. It might not be so bad if I'm not alone.
"What if I find myself procrastinating?"
Solution - ask a friend to call me every day to remind me to spend a little time on my goal. Work on my goal first thing in the morning to get it done and over with.
External Barriers
External barriers include barriers such as money, time, other people's reactions, resources, and results. We are not in direct control of them, but we can affect how they work and we can still plan around them.
"What if the client turns down my proposal?"
Solution - ask questions to find out why, and resubmit it.
"What if I forget the worksheets?"
Solution - Scan a copy of it to your email and then find a printer to get new copies made.
"What if I can’t find anything healthy on the menu?"
Solution - look at the restaurant menu ahead of time and find items that fit your way of eating.
When you find yourself faced with internal or external barriers, remember that these things are all a part of a bigger plan. Don’t let them throw you off track. It is in those moments that you should pray, reach out for support, be open to talking through what the barrier is with someone you trust and maybe they can help with ideas to overcome them.
Don’t let the barriers in life stop you from truly stepping into alignment with who you are and all that you are meant to be.
Practice this technique with even your small, short-term goals. It feels great to know that when a brick wall appears in your path, you have the perfect solution for getting around it and getting back on the road to achievement!