Eliminating the Barriers
to Success
Rob
McCarter, MS,
LPC/NCC
Part I
Over the years, I have been
most fortunate to be one of those that God has called to aid others in
eliminating barriers to success in their lives. In each situation, I help
them discover their own resources and then get out of the way for their own
resources to knock down the barriers.
While I could relay many
success stories, there are a few people who can't seem to knock down the
barriers. These are the ones who experience fleeting success, if at all.
Instead of eliminating barriers they construct them.
If you answered,
"yes" to either question, then this three-part article is for you!
Each part will focus on eliminating a barrier to success. Read, reread and
digest each part and you'll be amazed at the difference that will manifest in
your life.
The first barrier to success
is a lack of "know-how." You must develop "know-how"
or you will not be successful. This point cannot be overemphasized.
New learning must take place if we are to be successful. As such, it's
essential that we look to role models for the "know-how"…to those
who have blazed the trail before us.
Take the Fellowship of
Christian Martial Artists as an example. Each member at FCMA joins with
specific expectations and desires. Some desire to achieve black belt
status, others desire that and more…maybe to run a school of their own.
What better role model at
FCMA than Dave Clinard? I'm sure he'd be the first to admit that he has
made his share of mistakes in building FCMA. Yet, through it all, he has
learned from the mistakes by using them as feedback for success…as more of
on-the-job "know-how" training.
Regardless of your goals at
FCMA, utilize Dave's knowledge and the knowledge of others at FCMA. This
will increase your "know-how" and eliminate a barrier to success.
Part
II
In Part I of this series on
eliminating the barriers to success I shared with you the importance of
developing the "know-how" for success. "Know-how" is
essential for success! Rarely, if ever, will you be able to
"guess" your way to success. But with
"know-how" you easily eliminate the first barrier and are ready to
face the second potential barrier to success. That being the lack of
"want-to."
If you answered,
"Yes" to either question, then you or someone you know probably has a
lack of "want-to" issue. A lack of "want-to" in and of
itself is not the challenge; it's how you resolve it that creates the challenge.
Allow me to share a personal anecdote that will clarify this point.
Several months ago I
received a job offer from an organization that employed trainers to conduct
workshops within the corporate world. While this was an incredible offer I
hit the wall of "want-to." It was only after I compared the
importance of the job to other aspects of my life (e.g., time away from home
with active participation in my teenage son's lives). As a compromise with
the organization couldn't be reached, I declined their offer.
The point:
"want-to" barriers are there for a reason. To be successful
(which includes peace of mind), don't ignore the lack of "want-to."
Instead investigate the reasons behind it, as I did, and discover the source of
the hesitation by asking:
1. "What is
important to me about achieving black belt status or running my own
school?"
2. "Is there
anything more important to me that could interfere with my achieving this
goal?"
3. If there is, then
ask, "How can I create a compromise that will result in eliminating that
barrier to success?"
It has been my
experience that 99% of the time a compromise can be reached and this barrier to
success is eliminated. But it's important to address the barrier head-on.
Part
III
In Part II and I I shared
with you the importance of developing the "know-how" and
"want-to" for success. As before, I'm going to assume that
you've gathered the necessary skills ("know-how") and cleared up any
conflicting desires so that now you're 100% ready to ("want-to") to
attain your black belt and/or begin your school.
There is nothing to hold you
back, or is there? Unfortunately there is one more barrier that must be
eliminated IF you are to succeed in achieving black belt status
and/or operating your own school. This barrier to success is the lack of
"can-do."
The degree of
"Can-do" that you'll exhibit is directly linked to the degree of
success that you'll realize. Hopefully for most of you this belief is
strongly engrained in you as a result of the successfully eliminating the lack
of "know-how" and "want-to" barriers.
Others, despite this success
need more convincing in order to develop a "can-do" attitude.
That's natural and not a sign of weakness…that is if you acknowledge and
utilize it as a springboard to eliminate this barrier.
In order to illustrate this
point I'm sharing with you a brief excerpt from Bob Bodenhamer and my upcoming
book, The Power of…. In this chapter, we explore the power of
identifying limitations (e.g., can't dos) and questioning their usefulness in
our lives.
Limitations…occur
when…one generalizes from the consequences of a single experience (or at most,
a few) that all future experiences will have the same result….Limitations are
directed inwardly, toward the individual. As such, limitations are
particularly damaging to one's self-esteem, confidence and ability to utilize
one's power. What would the outcome be if one were to say, "I can't
get ahead."?
What would happen if
you thought (or said), "I can't get my black belt or begin my own
school."? YOU would face a barrier that would be impossible to
eliminate because you would begin to believe your own LIE! A lie is
what it is, isn't it?
Of course it's a lie.
Turn on your lie detector and step into the truth. Face the facts, you
have the "know-how" and the "want-to" now develop the
"can-do" by asking yourself this question,
"What stops me
from achieving my black belt (or starting my school)?"
This simple question
honestly and thoughtfully asked and answered WILL lead to the elimination
of the final barrier to success and propel you to a level of personal
achievement that you've only dreamed about.