What does a barrier do? It makes you stop. It makes you take time to figure out a way around it, or even to take another path. They suggest a new opportunity. Barriers serve a valuable purpose and are so helpful. Let me tell you why.
What are the barriers in your life?
A barrier can be seen as an obstacle or an opportunity. Our first response is an emotional reaction — anger, impatience, or determination. We’ve been moving along in a direction we’ve chosen; and suddenly the way is blocked!
Are you going in the right direction?
The first thing a barrier makes you consider is the direction you’ve been going in. It forces you to pause and re-evaluate. Your objectives may have changed since you set out on your path, as you gained more knowledge. The need to take certain action may have disappeared. You may have discovered side trips that are more interesting than your main direction.
What are the other ways in which you could proceed?
If you’re stopped in your tracks by a barrier, you have to pause and get your bearings. You have to look for a way around the barrier. Can you go around it? Can you move it aside? Can you push through it? You look for an alternate route, or you may even consider turning back.
A barrier is an opportunity to consider your alternatives.
Is the timing right?
We start in a certain direction with all good intentions. But things change — you change, circumstances change. Is this path taking you in a direction that’s still aligned with your passion and place of service?
A barrier gives you time to evaluate in the present moment whether your choice is still relevant.
Is something better coming in?
A comforting concept is that if something you want doesn’t manifest, it’s because something better is coming along and the timing isn’t right. If you proceeded in the direction you’re going, you wouldn’t be free to take advantage of the new opportunity.
Be still and reflect
Let go of everything you think you want. Everything you think you hope to accomplish and look for the feeling you want in your life. You want to feel valued. You may or may not want to feel challenged to be constantly expanding your knowledge or awareness. You want to feel secure and safe.
What do you want to feel, and is the direction you’ve been going in providing that?
Look around you at what’s working: the minimum — shelter, food, companionship, spiritual expansion. Sit with that peace and contentment for a while.
You want time for your spiritual growth. You want to be healthy. You want… What are the core things you want in your life? Look closely. You probably already have them. How could moving in another direction, away from this perceived barrier, provide you with the feelings and values that are important to you?
The barrier is also an opportunity to reevaluate what you already have and to be grateful.
Let the universe design your next step
Don’t be too specific about what you’d like to bring into your life next. You can’t force the universe. You can’t bully it to do it your way.
So here lies the barrier, this obstacle to what you see as forward movement. Sit down and be with that for a while. Pull back into yourself to see if perhaps what you’ve done up to now has taken you as far as you need to go in this particular direction. Sit quietly and see how you’ve changed in a way that may make the direction you were going in no longer viable.
Allow yourself to change
What if you got to do something entirely different? What would that be? Look around at the signs you’ve been ignoring as you stayed busy on this particular path and see what side trips you missed, what adventures you could have gone on. Go back on the trail if you like, and explore.
Allow the opportunity time to evolve
There was a period recently when I knew that I was to make some changes — perhaps in the direction of my work, or perhaps in the form it was taking. All I knew was that there was a very, very deep calling, but I had no idea what it looked like.
I’d been expanding what I offered, learning new techniques. But I had a feeling that perhaps even the form needed to change.
So I waited. I didn’t do much. I wasn’t particularly productive. It was like a soup simmering to meld the flavor, or a timer that was waiting to go off indicating it was time for action. I didn’t know if it would be a sudden “ah ha”, or a gradual knowing.
The change came in wisps of recognition. Some ideas resonated, others were tempting, some bright shiny opportunities tried to pull me off course; but when I sat still and listened to my inner voice, I knew I would receive my answer from within. I also knew there was to be a slight correction in my course.
And that has happened. The direction became clearer. The path I was to travel opened up. The specific tools I needed to take on this journey were made clear. I lightened my load. I left some tools behind. I wouldn’t need them for the next part of my journey.
My path began to appear. I don’t know the final destination but at least I now know the direction.
And all I had done was wait.
And observe.
And close.
Barriers offer us an opportunity to pause and reflect. Remember that.
To Sing a Deeper Song consider:
What if You Broke the Mold?
Feeling Powerless is Not a Reason for Inaction
How to Hold the Space for the New Vision to Emerge
The Power of Positive Purpose
When Change is Hard
Where Do You Plant Your Stake?
