Last post I talked about the notion that Barriers come in 2 versions: Real and Perceived.
How can you determine if the Barrier you face is Real? Or, imagined?
Let’s take an example from my own life.
Several years ago I found myself saying that I couldn’t afford to go to a particular workshop. Seems like a legitimate, i.e. Real, Barrier.
Then a couple of days later I found myself walking out a book store wiht $ 75 dollars more on an already super charged credit card. As I was lugging the bag of books to my car. I had a sudden moment of clarity.
If I "couldn’t afford" the workshop, how could I afford the books?
What I figured out, in that instance, was that in fact the ‘real’ barrier was not money. The real barrier was that the workshop wasn’t that important to me — the books were!
Has that ever happened to you?
Have you found yourself saying I can’t X and then doing XX?
Here are some tips for deciding if a Barrier is Real or if it’s really generated by your internal censor board?
1. When you hear yourself saying, to someone else or to yourself, "I can’t"
a) Pay attention
b) Ask yourself "Who says I can’t?"
c) Or, ask, "Why can’t I" and then probe deep for answers inside.
2. Get it out of your head. Write it down. Make it visible so you can analyze it.
3. Simply ask, "Is this barrier real or am I making it up?"
Why care about the nature of a barrier?
Because the nature shapes the Barrier Busting strategies.
