How do you overcome a barrier? By first identifying what the true barrier is. Else the situation continues to be like one rowing a boat, but yet remaining stationary. Take for example, you may have tried your hand at many business ventures, but no luck; you keep applying for jobs, one application after the other but still no luck; or perhaps you continuously find yourself in the same type of destructive relationship again and again?
Before you can move forward, you need to identify what the true barrier is. Note the use of the word ‘true’, which is about identifying the root cause to why you are not getting the job, or your business ventures not working out, or why you’re producing the same results every time.
These barriers can either be internal – barriers within our control or specific to us as individuals i.e. fear, lack of knowledge, poor communication, lack of funds, limited self-belief; or external – barriers outside of our control i.e. location, health, economy etc.
Focusing on the internal barriers –which are more within our control – we need to take a step back to reflect and identify what the root cause could be. Usually the help of an outside party such a successful entrepreneur, a coach, consultant or even a friend can come in very hand to help identify what the root cause may be. An example of a barrier could be a simple case of someone having vast experience, yet because they are not able to sell or represent themselves effectively on their CV/Resume, they are not being called back for interviews. I have seen this happen several times as a hiring manager, I spend less than one minute first browsing a CV, and if it does not immediately grab my attention, I move on to the next, as I have a pile to get through.
There is a popular quote that says “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. For change to come, we have to be prepared to take a different action to overcome the barriers that keep us from moving forward. My favourite recipe for overcoming barriers includes an intentional reflection of where we are, a generous serving of self-belief, a big dollop of persistence, a dash of fearlessness, and the ability to turn barriers into bridges.
Colonel Harland Sanders of KFC is great example of someone who overcame rejection, poverty and family adversity to create a world renowned brand. At the age of 65, with great belief in his tried and tested recipe, he is said to have set out with $105 to seek out the KFC franchises, and he succeeded. Identify what is holding you back, and persistently work towards overcoming it to get ahead!
Comment below and share how you have been able to overcome your barrier(s), or what you may be struggling with.
