Today I wanted to share with you some of the ways in which you can overcome preconceived barriers to your personal growth. We can very often not even be aware of these barriers and how they can limit our personal growth, however with the right tools they can be overcome.
Awareness - The first and most important step. Many of our defences and limitations may be operating subconciously and can be brought to the surface through self awareness.
Awareness in and of itself is transformative'
~ Ken Wilbur
Identify the common barriers
1.) A very common one is the barrier of fear, this can be huge for some people and can take various forms. It could be fear of failing, fear of the unknown, fear of rejection, amongst others, but essentially the barrier is always the same - the feeling of fear.
2.) Doubting your ability or the possibility that you can achieve what it is you've set out to do. These doubts can also come from others around you, who may knowingly/unknowingly cause you to doubt in your true abilities.
3.) Not being specific enough about the goals you have set out to achieve, this is highly important in order to create self-belief and the cause to take necessary actions.
4.) Not taking responsibility for your own life and outcomes within it.
5.) Expecting immediate results - In short this is being impatient with both yourself and your environment therefore putting you out of line in the process of being and becoming. Although we all may have goals we want to achieve, the greatest gifts often come on the journey to achieving them.
Overcoming common barriers to personal growth
For each person the journey is different, however the ways in which we can successfully overcome these barriers is common to us all. The following are specific ways that you can use to overcome these barriers and go on to achieve your success.
Awareness - If you know the barriers then you can overcome them - 'Knowledge is power.'
Be as specific as possible- Set very specific goals and write them down to increase certainty. The most recognised and effective method you can follow when setting goals and this is called the SMART approach which stands for; Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timed. Ensure that the goals you set meet these objectives, this will increase your confidence and motivation in achieving them. Break the goal down in to smaller steps to make it more realistic, measurable and achievable and ensure you are specific in what you want to achieve and set a date for its accomplishment.
Believe in yourself - You must believe in yourself and that your goal is possible, this is essential. Tell yourself everyday that you can do it and take specific daily actions until you do achieve it. This will then increase your self-bellief and when you do achieve your goal, you will become more confident in your ability to achieve further goals
Take full responsibility for you life and outcomes - you have the power to make changes now what ever your current circumstances may be.
As Bruce Lee stated;
To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities.'
Face your fears As the famous book by Susan Jeffer is titled, Feel the fear and do it anyway. By acting in spite of fear you take away its power and increase your own. This is by far the best method in overcoming any fear that has been holding you back, it may feel challenging at first but the confidence and self- belief you will gain from doing so will make it highly worth the effort.
Let go of the fixation on the outcome. Although you have set a goal that you wish to achieve, as paradoxical as it sounds, it is still always about the journey; this is where you learn about yourself, your purpose and where all the memories and rewards come. If you remain too fixated on the outcome, you may out on all these benefits and give up if you dont see results quickly enough. In my experience within the health and fitness industry I have seen this often and so I get people to focus on the more short term benefits that are gained from exercise, of which there are many.
Focus on the joy along the way and the results will come.