Stop Standing In Your Own Way

In life we all encounter obstacles and we all have different circumstances. Some individuals may have more obstacles, as well as an unusual set of circumstances than others. Unfortunately, the world is not going to treat you any different. You may come in contact with someone who is sympathetic to your situation, but at the end of the day it doesn't matter. It is a part of life, YOUR life. What matters is how you respond to those obstacles and circumstances.

Are you going to lie down and die or are you going to do all you can to change your circumstances and overcome the obstacles in your path? In order to do so first you must acknowledge and become one with your circumstances. The key is not to dwell in them. Secondly, identify who or what is standing in your way. Truth be told, most of the time, you are the obstacle. You are standing in your way. This can be the result of fear, an unsupportive spouse, mate, friend and family. Finally, create a personal development plan (PDP) to help you discover who you are and what goals you would like to accomplish in your life. A PDP can also help you identify the skills and experience you already have or may need to advance in your career to have the life you want. Another option is to create a vision board which is a collage of things you desire for your life. 

For so long, I have been the obstacle in my life. Everyone is afraid of something and if they tell you they are not afraid of anything, they are not telling the truth. I have allowed fear to keep me from doing so many things. My fears have me paralyzed. I am afraid of failure and the unknown. One day last week I was on Joyce Meyer's website and I stumbled upon an article called Facing Fear and Finding Freedom. It was after I read this article as well as a few others she has on fear, purpose, and several other topics that I decided to face my fears and be free. I have always had a PDP, but I decided to give it a face lift by using the SWOT Analysis and recreating my S.M.A.R.T Goals. 

In college I learned about a few strategy tools that are used for business purposes, but can also be applied to your personal life. One strategy is called the SWOT Analysis (click the link to view the article) and it is designed to help you identify your Strengths (internal), Weaknesses (internal), Opportunity (external) and Threats (external). Another technique to consider is creating S.M.A.R.T Goals (click the link to view the article). This tool was developed to help employers manage their employee's perfomance. Nonetheless, you can use it to manage your personal performance as you work toward your goal. When you write down your goals they should be Specific (what do you want to accomplish), Measurable (what is the progress you have made), Attainable (achievable), Realistic (Outcome) and Timely (completion date).

Life is about taking risk. Every day when I walk the streets of New York I am taking a risk. There is a 50 percent chance that I may not make it back home to my family. I realize there is no difference. I have nothing to lose and everything to gain. I am on my way to living fearlessly, finding my purpose and I am so excited.

Are you in your own way? What is stopping you from doing what you really want to do?