Barriers Blocking Our Success—Key Ideas to Bust them Down
By Billy Arcement—The Candid Cajun
Copyright 2021
Virtually no one sets out to experience the nightmare of failure. But while many start out on the same path, not everyone completes the trip. Why is it, with all of us well intended, so many simply don’t make it? Here are some thoughts to help you bust barriers.
The Bondage of Doubt and Fear: Let’s start with what I believe is the primary reason why we never reach our potential. We let the darkness of the unknown (our fears) stop us from taking the next step towards success. Doubts that we have what it takes to achieve our desires take over and momentum ceases. We stop one step from the breakthrough event.
Think of life as a marathon race. If a marathon runner stops at the 26th mile marker, they’ve run 137,280 feet but stop 1155 feet from the finish line. They worked through pain and exhaustion for the first 26 miles. But, at this point, they allow the inertia of doubt and fear take over a few feet from their destination.
We can never forget our fear of failure can be the greatest barrier to our successes. Refuse to let doubt and fear stop your momentum. When we persist and continue moving towards our desires, fear and doubt diminish and are no longer barriers.
Belief Makes it Happen: I call belief the antidote to fear and doubt. The power of belief propels winners to cross the finish line. But lack of belief can stifle if we have an unclear focus of what we want from life. Claude Bristol in this classic book, The Magic of Believing, says you are the product of your own thoughts. Belief in yourself and your ability to reach your personal success goals begins with your thinking.
How solid are you with your thinking about success? Do you have unwavering confidence? Is your thinking more positive than negative? Do you spend time examining and thinking about failures and how you can assure yourself to not repeat the mistake? These are just a few of the important questions you need to ask yourself as you assess your level of belief in your ability to succeed.
It’s All About Choice: Success is not guaranteed nor is failure an inevitable end. Both happen for the same reason—the choices we make. Our daily habits (choices) are the drivers of success or failure. We make little habitual choices each day that don’t seem to have a great impact on our life so we don’t give them a second thought. Like a massive weight, these choices will, in the end, make us fall.
For example, we never engage in any form of exercise. Missing that day of exercise yesterday doesn’t hurt us tomorrow. But a few years of this type of neglect may bring on serious health issues. We don’t keep up with the trends and new insights relating to our career and that promotion we wanted doesn’t become reality. We don’t ever seem to have time to bond with our children then one day they are grown and our relationship is distant.
The good news is that, by changing the quality of your choices (habits), you can improve any situation. Watch the foods you ingest, exercise and you increase the odds of a longer life. Establish a daily reading habit to broaden your mind. Establish a daily reading habit to inoculate your brain with new ideas. This habit will create insights and open the door for better job opportunities. Talk to your children every day as they are growing up. Establish that unbreakable bond of love and support early with every child. Support them in their school activities. Be their parent. Be willing to steer them in the right direction when needed, but also be their friend when they need someone to talk to.
Develop your personal philosophy of life and make the choices to bring that philosophy to your life. Small choices each day create a strong future. Think about where you want to be and do today what is necessary to get there tomorrow. It’s a discipline worth the effort.
It Takes Action: OK, we’ve come a long ways from the beginning where we focused on fear and doubt, belief and choices. But at this point, you must do what is often the most neglected step. You become well intended. You make large promises to yourself. You vow you will change the direction of your life. Then, the enemy steps in—inertia. Grounding yourself into a stationary state is the death toll for all our dreams for better. Nothing will happen until we act. No fear or doubt will go away. No beliefs can save you if you fail to action and change your way of thinking. No choice can detour you from the wrong path without changing lanes.
The single greatest act of courage takes place when we replace the inertia of losing with actions that win. Success or failure? It is all just a matter of the actions you take and the barriers you bust!
Billy Arcement—The Candid Cajun, offers in-person and virtual leadership training and consulting services to his corporate, government, and education clients. Preview his website, www.SearchingForSuccess.com and Contact him at 225-572-2804.