I put off a final step of a project for ten days simply because it felt like a barrier I had to push through. And, of course, the longer I waited, the bigger the barrier seemed. What do you do when you seem to have hit a barrier? How do you overcome it? How do you work around it?
Barriers often begin small
My perceived barrier was a small technical step I needed to figure out in order to set up a wonderful display of my books on my website along with the way to obtain them. I worked really, really hard for three days getting to this point. Then there was one small step I needed to understand and do and it would be finished. Furthermore, it would then be set up and ready to receive more books.
That one step felt like a major challenge and stopped me in my tracks.
Some barriers are about making a decision
I was given an alternate solution by tech support. One step. One solution. And yet I put off for days even trying to understand that one step. It was because I had to make a decision. I had to figure out one more choice. Are some of your barriers simply about decisions?
I knew that it would probably take me 20 minutes to make this happen — well, maybe an hour — but the reward and relief would be enormous.
What if a barrier became an opportunity?
Once I master this one small step, it’ll be easy to put up the other small books that I seem to be completing at a rather rapid pace — probably becomes it’s more fun to create than to set up the back end of a website. So I have chosen to do what’s easy and pleasurable over what feels like a challenge, a place to push through, a barrier.
I wonder where else I’m doing that in my life?
Where are your stuck places?
I live alone so I can very much do what I want to do — or not do. I make rewarding choices like writing or meditating over mundane things like cleaning and cooking.
But there needs to be balance. I must push myself to walk more, to stretch more often, to even sit and look outside the window to connect with nature.
Once you identify your stuck places, figure out how to get yourself un-stuck
Don’t take the easy way
How hard would it be to walk five more minutes each day? Could I put on some great music and cook for an hour in order to have several special meals for the week? What if I tidy and clean some small area before I do something I regularly do — like watch the news. I bet I could even tidy up during the commercials.
Slip in some discipline
My mother made a point of sharing this story of my grandmother. Of all the daily chores she had, what she disliked the most was cleaning the coal oil lamp chimneys. So she did those first and freed up her day from the dread of doing them.
Smart lady. And smart mother to tell me that story.
Pick a “push through” time
Figure out a time of day when you have the energy to push through another step of the perceived barrier you have before you. If my barrier is physical, my push through time every day will be at 4 p.m., when I go for a walk. I’ll add more movement during that time.
As I reserve the beginning of my work day for writing and creating, early afternoon will be my push through time for mental barriers. It feels good to label it “push through” time.
Look at the reward for your effort
I will love having my books up on my site. I will feel proud to have them up on Amazon (another process I put off). Most of all I will love the feeling of relief and release and completion of the book project.
Just do it
Whatever you’ve been putting off, just do it. Set your timer if you want to — put it to 20 minutes, and see what you can do in that length of time. When the timer goes off, see how close you are to success. Acknowledge how far you’ve come and set the timer for another chunk of time.
Barriers are only opportunities to grow
What will you learn if you move through this barrier? What will it feel like on the other side? Is there another path you should take in order to get around this perceived blockage? What can you modify?
What is the lesson you need to learn in order to move forward?
Every opportunity has a gift. And barriers are opportunities. Look for the gift. For me, once I figure out this one small step, I can share my books in a lot of places. Look for the gift. Look for the reward.
And simply do what needs to be done.
To Sing a Deeper Song consider:
How Choosing the Right Word will Clarify your Choices
What to Do When You Don’t Know What You Need
Why we are Afraid of Change?
When Change is Hard
Be the Story you Want to Tell
VLOG: Insights of a Deeper Song
PODCAST: Reflections of a Deeper Song
