30 Day Challenge to Invest in Yourself – Day #5
It’s Day #5 of the 30 Day Challenge! Today we will evaluate your list of goals from another perspective. On Day #3 we discussed how to prioritize our goals and on Day #4 we evaluated our goals based on TIME.
The next step in evaluating your list of goals is to identify the BARRIERS that have prevented you from accomplishing them. Some BARRIERS will be physical while others may be emotional or environmental.
As you begin to identify areas in your life that cause frustration, anxiety or uncertainty, be sure to look at how those areas create obstacles for you to work towards your goals. The time and energy spent dealing with those obstacles or frustrations prevents you from investing resources towards the things you really want to accomplish. By identifying them you will have more clarity on ways to work through them or eliminate them altogether.
Physical BARRIERS present challenges that must be taken into account in order to move forward. Physical BARRIERS can be related to mobility – how to get from one location to another. Consider the research, planning and solutions needed to work through that. They can also be related to geography – the need to permanently relocate to another place.
Next, consider the emotional BARRIERS that prevent you from taking action towards your goals. Identify the fears, beliefs and assumptions you are making about your ability or worthiness to achieve what you want. Write them down. Challenge each one with facts and reason.
Finally, identify any environmental BARRIERS that are creating frustrations or distractions. This may include getting access to the right people, tools and resources. Sometimes our environment can take on a different life with a good coat of paint, some plants and cleaning up the clutter. It may involve turning off the noise in the background or finding a safe space to plan and work on your goals.
Take time to identify the frustrations and BARRIERS blocking your progress. Focus on changing what you can influence or control and be creative around the things you can’t.