Like it or not, you may have some stubborn goal impediments in your life. Some of these impediments were given to you when you were young and your brain absorbed them like a sponge. Think of the baby circus elephant who was chained up shortly after birth. He wanted to break out of captivity but the chains were too strong. He gave up not realizing that someday when he was bigger and stronger he could break free. The chains became his impediment to freedom.
Do you recall all the times you failed at something and other people told you to give up? Maybe your voice is actually the loudest and the most critical. The only people I know who are champions at removing goal impediments happen to be babies. How many babies do you know who gave up after falling down when learning to walk? That's because they are born without limitations. Limitations are self-inflicted. Loved ones teach you to have goal impediments because they don't want you to get hurt. Breaking news! Failure hurts. Pain avoidance is another fancy name for incarceration.
If you think about it for a while, you may discover that some of your toughest goal impediments are invisible. They reside inside your brain. If they happen to be invisible, how do you think you can remove them and set yourself free?
I believe one of the best solutions for removing goal impediments is to observe others in similar situations who discovered their own tools and used them to create a new life for themselves. These people are the mavericks. Their own actions inspire others to break free on their journey towards the achievement of pre-determined worthwhile goals. This journey requires your own personal pledge to remove every obstacle in your way, even the ones you constructed from your own failures.
I happen to be a believer that changing your perspective creates opportunities to see your goal impediments from another point of view. I often find my mind drifting into the future where I imagine myself already set free from whatever happens to be blocking me in the present. I have this imaginary conversation with my future self and ask, "How did you remove the obstacle?" It's the same scenario as having a newly freed circus elephant traveling back in time to have a conversation with his captive self and telling him, "all you have to do is believe you are stronger than the chains."
The final tool for goal impediment removal is invisible. Sometimes you need invisible tools to fight invisible self-inflicted obstacles. Let's call this tool a "failure stun gun." If this is too much sci-fi for your taste buds, you can give it your own name. The idea is that you pull the trigger on this failure stun gun every time you fall down. These zaps are meant to teach your brain that failure can no longer slow you down or stop you. In fact, failure is necessary. You may ask, "how often do I need to use my "failure stun gun?" Well, how many times does a baby need to fall down before he masters walking? The older you get and the more set in your ways you become, the more often you will need to zap yourself with your failure stun gun. New habits are much harder to create but they will eventually be stronger than your old bad habits that got you stuck in the mud.
Load your tool box with goal impediment removal tools. Use them as often as you need them to reach your goals. Your future self will thank you for doing this. Have a great day.
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