Breaking Personal Barriers to Get Ahead

Over time we seem to construct a box in which we are content to live, outside of which we do not think, and most certainly, do not act. Your mentally constructed box is the biggest barrier to becoming all that you were meant to be and overcoming those things that are holding you back in your personal and professional life.

Overcome timidity.

Are you timid when it comes to expressing your ideas, letting go and having fun, or letting others know more about you. There is nothing to do with timidity except to shed it like an old snake skin.

Stop holding back. Don't worry about what others think. The best cure for timidity is to be yourself and do it in a big way.

Don't be ashamed to voice your opinions and ideas. You may have the next brilliant idea for your company or department, but failure to speak up and voice it with confidence will usually result in someone else stealing the idea and your thunder. Trust me, they won't look back.

The only person who will look out for you socially and professionally is you. Speak up. Find your vibrancy and share it. Live life with drama and flourish, at least that way people will remember you.

Get out of the Box.

Living inside the box created by you, your colleagues, or your family will only result in frustration. You can't get anywhere in life if you refuse to think outside the box, or better still get out of the box.

Stop thinking of your life and career in terms of barriers and think in terms of possibilities. In order to do this you have to see beyond the box that you have placed yourself in or willingly stepped in at the suggestion of others.

Here's the thing. There is nothing to fear outside of the box. You may perceive the fear of failure, but failure is ultimately living inside the box, never testing the limits of your abilities and personality. That is the ultimate failure. The fear of living a life of less than who you were created to be should be more fearful than breaking free of the mental and emotional constructs others have placed around you.

If you continue to live like that you will never be the one to get ahead, gain the recognition you deserve, or meet the love of your life.

There is no such thing as negative attention.

This is a principle learned well and often practiced by celebrities and PR firms. Negative publicity is better than no publicity.

That isn't to say you set out looking for negative things to happen, but failure to act because you fear negative consequences or attention will keep you from doing the very things in your life that will make the biggest difference.

The feeling that you will gain negative attention can cause anxiety, which is a huge barrier to becoming who you want to be and achieving what you want to achieve.

If you can't forget about the nay-sayers and dooms-dayers in your life, then forget about what they have to say. You can never please everyone 100% of the time. As my husband says, "you may as well suit yourself, you are going to anyway."

While he is being somewhat crass, the statement is true. We are going to become who we are going to become. Let go of what others think and achieve your dreams and goals more quickly than you would by wasting time worrying about what people think.

What is the worst that can happen if someone perceives you in a negative light or speaks negatively of you. At least you are on their mind, and if you are living your life in vibrant confidence, unafraid to live outside the box what they have to say is of little consequence and ultimately of less importance in the long run.

Accepting yourself for who you are and living beyond the barriers will free you to live the life that you were meant to live and become the person you are destined to be.

Source:
Personal Knowledge; 23 years of ministry and pastoral counseling experience