Transform your Barriers into Bridges

When you look back at the bigger picture of your life, you will realize that you’ve come a long way. You've experienced change and growth, evolved into a more knowledgeable person and become a wiser being who has hopefully given back substantially to the very society that shaped you into becoming a better human being.

Yet, there have been many phases during this journey when you’ve felt hampered and stifled in your attempts. Many a time your own denial or reluctance to change has been the biggest contributor to this scenario. Let’s be honest, most us hate change. But ‘Change’ is the only ‘Constant’ in life! So what truly stops us from growing if it is so vital to our evolution and our wellbeing? Well, the first step to transforming your barriers into bridges for growth is the honest acceptance of the fact that these barriers do exist in your mind, translating into a subconscious disinclination to evolve and change. Once your mind’s eye becomes aware of these inherent barriers, growth is certain!

Let’s size up the Barriers and build the germane Bridges to help you conquer these mind-blocks. Here are 9 prominent Barriers & Bridges to growth:

1.     FEAR – Barriers are manifold, the most prominent being ‘FEAR’! An inexplicable fear of the unknown that come hand-in-hand with change de-motivates you from taking the very first step to change. Prevail over that poisonous ‘What If’ nagging thought in your head if you ever have to evolve. Change the ‘What If’ barrier into a bridge called ‘Why Not’, and watch how quickly your life will transform for the better.

2.   PRIDE – Hanging on to the past will never let you grow. Gloating over past successes or worse yet harping over the injuries to your ego in the past will never allow you to progress and heal. Au contraire, they only serve to keep you rooted in the past, fortify the hurt experienced and victimize you further. ‘Let go, Forgive and Forget’...follow these 3 simple rules vital to your growth process.

3.     FALSE MIRROR IMAGE – Believing that you don’t need to grow and improve because you are perfect is selfish, narrow-minded and disastrous. Even on rare occasions, perfection can only relate to a brief state of the moment. When the moment is gone, so is that fleeting impostor feeling of being perfect. Or maybe it’s just your subliminal strategy to postpone the self-improvisation process. Remember, none amongst us is perfect, and neither are you! The faster you accept this, the better!

4.     THE BLAME GAME – Stop blaming the world for your problems. Blaming others for every single thing that happens in your life builds negativity, distrust and only harms all future relationships. If you fool yourself into believing that you are a victim of the world around you, then you will never evolve to learn about the all important power of ‘Responsibility’. Stop believing that the world owes you anything. The cosmos, your family, bosses, colleagues and friends owe you nothing. It is you, and only you who will be responsible for choosing either the barriers or the bridges that will contribute towards crafting your life story.

5.    A FATALISTIC APPROACH – From the very beginning we are surrounded by a fatalistic concept of ‘Karma’ which can falsely be misunderstood as a ‘loss of control over our lives’. Of course no one has complete control over the future, but we do have total control over our mind. And it’s ultimately the mind that controls all matter, perception and efforts therein. Change your thinking, change your world!

6.      LACK OF PLANNING – Most of us float through life accepting whatever is doled out to us, without ever pausing to etch out definitive goals or striving to break out of the ordinary to overachieve expectations. Time to end this laissez faire mode of existence! It’s time to take stock of your Life! Chart out your Goals, draw up a realistic step-by-step activity roadmap, and provide for well defined timelines. Personal Growth and Success will automatically follow.

7.   UNFOCUS & REFOCUS – Most of us focus on that which we don’t want, especially when we have experienced a psychological trauma. Unfortunately, the mind takes that very focus and sets about creating or attracting to it the very thing you have strived to avoid. For most of us, this is a very unconscious reflex activity, so we don’t even realize that we’re doing it. Get around this barrier by first identifying the sour emotions your mind undergoes every time you think about the unpleasant situation. So now you’ve figured out that every time your mood turns dark, you are subconsciously focusing on the unwanted situation. Now all you’ve got to do is ‘Unfocus’ ie: pull your focus back to ‘Refocus’ on what you really want. The faster you train your mind to ‘Unfocus’ and ‘Refocus’, the faster you can get back on track and pummel your way to attaining your actual goals.

8.     LACK OF RESOURCES – This is a common excuse across all strata of society. Some of the greatest achievers in society had neither time, contacts or money, but they also never wasted time on excuses. There’s a good chance you are merely citing the lack of these resources as an excuse to justify you unwillingness to push your boundaries and go beyond your comfort zone. Stop Whining & start Winning! Identify, prioritize and kick aside these mental obstacles. The faster you realize these excuses are hampering your growth, the better it is for you!

9.   YOUR BELIEFS ARE A SUM TOTAL OF YOUR VALUES – This is the easiest and yet the most neglected part of the growth process. Make a list of all the things you value in your life. This can include your friends, possessions, hobbies, feelings...just about anything that truly matters in your life. And then take a long hard look at you ‘List of Values’. Your values are anchors upon which all your core beliefs are based. This is the REAL YOU! If you are genuinely keen on setting out on the path of change and growth, you will need to identify, refine and redefine your core Values. This in turn will have a massive cascade effect on your mind, and your entire life!

Awareness in and of itself is transformative. Your mind knows no Boundaries, the power of your Imagination is limitless. How much you will accomplish in life is only defined by your vision and resolve. If you have decided that you cannot accomplish anything, then you are doomed to be crushed by your very own self-imposed barriers to fail all through life. However, if you choose to build your bridges by believing that you can accomplish anything, coupled with focus, effort, humility, discipline and perseverance, then there is absolutely no force on this planet that will dare stand in your way on your march to success!