Tearing Down the Roadblocks We’ve Built on the Path to Success

by Sam on June 30, 2009

Carpe Diem! Enjoy every day, make every moment count. There are countless cliches and phrases that urge us to bite the bullet and do what we want to do. Most of us are lucky enough to have the encouragement and support of friends and family.  Our education and experience have armed us with a powerful arsenal of tools. So, achieving success should be a piece of cake, right? Wrong. Of course, there are numerous outside forces that impede our efforts (the economy for example), but I think that often the biggest obstacle we face is ourselves. The face that stares back at you in the mirror, the voice inside your head. We build our own roadblocks on the path to success.

There is no doubt that we all want to succeed at something. Why else would we spend so much time, effort and money on education? Why would we suffer through horrible jobs and internships just to build up our resumes? If this is the case, why would we stand in our own way? Simple, we don’t realize we’re doing it.  We don’t realize the power of our self-conscious, and just how detrimental negative thoughts can be.

When it comes down to it, we have to believe in ourselves if we want to truly succeed. Unfortunately, this is easier for some than others. Confidence does not come easily to everyone, and gaining confidence is a long, daunting process. But, we have to start somewhere if we want to accomplish our goals. We have to find a way to internalize the things people are saying about us and to us, to believe them in our own hearts and minds. No matter how many times people may tell you that you’re beautiful, or smart, or talented, it doesn’t mean as much if you disagree.

I won’t even begin to offer advice on how to overcome self-consciousness and be confident in yourself. These are things that I have struggled with, and continue to work on every day. But, I can say that the first step is realizing that you are your own greatest obstacle to achieving your goals and dreams. Look at where you are in life. Are you where you want to be? If so, awesome! If not, why not? What would you want to be different? And, most importantly, what is stopping you? You may find that the answer is in your own reflection. Scary though that realization may be, at least you know who is standing in your way. In fact, it’s the person you know better than anyone in the world, and that’s an advantage. In order to overcome the obstacles you’ve set up for yourself, you might have to make some changes. It probably won’t be quick or easy or convenient, but it will definitely be worth it in the end.

Have you ever stood in your own way? How long did it take you to realize? What did you do to tear down the roadblocks?

Related articles by Zemanta
Reblog this post [with Zemanta]
Related Posts with Thumbnails
Be Sociable, Share!

Tagged as: Change, confidence, Learning, memories

  • http://www.opheliaswebb.com/ opheliaswebb

    I am constantly my own worst enemy. I think its sometimes good and sometimes bad to realize this. Good cause you can work on it, bad to know that only you have the key and that the door might still be locked. I was talking to a friend a little about this, and she brought up an interesting point. Very few people have that little voice in their head without having a basis somewhere in reality. For example, though people tell me they like my writing I always think of a creative writing teacher I had in high school that flipped his lid on me and told me how annoying it was that I constantly asked questions and interjected into his boring lectures. I know he has nothing to do with my writing ability or style, but every time I think about my writing him screaming at me in front of my whole class flashes in my mind. It doesn't even have anything to do with writing, its just what I associate with it.

  • http://www.opheliaswebb.com opheliaswebb

    I am constantly my own worst enemy. I think its sometimes good and sometimes bad to realize this. Good cause you can work on it, bad to know that only you have the key and that the door might still be locked.

    I was talking to a friend a little about this, and she brought up an interesting point. Very few people have that little voice in their head without having a basis somewhere in reality. For example, though people tell me they like my writing I always think of a creative writing teacher I had in high school that flipped his lid on me and told me how annoying it was that I constantly asked questions and interjected into his boring lectures. I know he has nothing to do with my writing ability or style, but every time I think about my writing him screaming at me in front of my whole class flashes in my mind. It doesn't even have anything to do with writing, its just what I associate with it.

  • http://www.lifeschocolates.com/ sameve

    Elisa: Great point your friend made. Even though what your teacher said had nothing to do with your writing, it was hurtful and it was an experience that stayed with you. So, when that's the case, you're not only fighting yourself, you're also trying to overcome the powerful memory of that experience. But, having that memory just means your self-conscious thoughts go deeper, it doesn't mean you'll never overcome it. Thanks for sharing this story!

  • http://www.lifeschocolates.com sameve

    Elisa: Great point your friend made. Even though what your teacher said had nothing to do with your writing, it was hurtful and it was an experience that stayed with you. So, when that's the case, you're not only fighting yourself, you're also trying to overcome the powerful memory of that experience. But, having that memory just means your self-conscious thoughts go deeper, it doesn't mean you'll never overcome it. Thanks for sharing this story!

  • http://www.owlsparks.com/ Carlos Miceli

    Sam, I believe as well that a positive attitude towards life is a must. One has to make things happen. But I do believe that accepting that not everything depends on us is also a must. Luck does exist, and it's represented in many forms.Understanding it shouldn't make us lazy, that's now what I'm saying. But one has to lead a happy life even if not all our goals are achieved. The fact that we reach our goals or not, shouldn't rule our life, since it's not entirely up to us.But yeah, there's no luck good enough to make things happen for you ifyou don't put your heart to it…

  • http://www.owlsparks.com/ Carlos Miceli

    Sam, I believe as well that a positive attitude towards life is a must. One has to make things happen. But I do believe that accepting that not everything depends on us is also a must. Luck does exist, and it's represented in many forms.

    Understanding it shouldn't make us lazy, that's now what I'm saying. But one has to lead a happy life even if not all our goals are achieved. The fact that we reach our goals or not, shouldn't rule our life, since it's not entirely up to us.

    But yeah, there's no luck good enough to make things happen for you ifyou don't put your heart to it…

  • http://www.sofiaraj.com/ Chocolates

    Hi,You mention here such great post..Very very thanks for this…I'm waiting for your next post…

  • http://www.sofiaraj.com/ Chocolates

    Hi,
    You mention here such great post..
    Very very thanks for this…
    I'm waiting for your next post…

  • http://www.lifeschocolates.com/ sameve

    Carlos: Very true, we should be able to accept that not everything depends on us and some things are beyond our control. I think you have a very wise philosophy: “One has to lead a happy life even if not all our goals are achieved.” As I said in my previous post, life itself is a gift, no matter how difficult or imperfect it may be. Thanks for your comments!

  • http://www.lifeschocolates.com/ sameve

    I love your username! Thanks for stopping by and I'm glad you enjoyed the post.

  • http://www.lifeschocolates.com sameve

    Carlos: Very true, we should be able to accept that not everything depends on us and some things are beyond our control. I think you have a very wise philosophy: “One has to lead a happy life even if not all our goals are achieved.” As I said in my previous post, life itself is a gift, no matter how difficult or imperfect it may be. Thanks for your comments!

  • http://www.lifeschocolates.com sameve

    I love your username! Thanks for stopping by and I'm glad you enjoyed the post.

  • http://www.smallhandsbigideas.blogspot.com/ Grace Boyle

    I believe this is part of an everyday struggle in life. I am pretty sure that the real road blocks in life are usually the ones we create or believe in. Interesting thoughts…I wonder if someone can ever fully overcome their own defeating beliefs 100%?

  • http://www.smallhandsbigideas.blogspot.com Grace Boyle

    I believe this is part of an everyday struggle in life. I am pretty sure that the real road blocks in life are usually the ones we create or believe in. Interesting thoughts…I wonder if someone can ever fully overcome their own defeating beliefs 100%?

  • http://www.lifeschocolates.com/ sameve

    Grace: You're right, it is an every day struggle. And you raise a really interesting question, can we ever fully overcome our own defeating beliefs 100%? I don't think we can, but that's not a bad thing. It's part of being human, and it's probably good to keep ourselves in check a little bit. Thanks for contributing to the discussion!

  • http://www.lifeschocolates.com sameve

    Grace: You're right, it is an every day struggle. And you raise a really interesting question, can we ever fully overcome our own defeating beliefs 100%? I don't think we can, but that's not a bad thing. It's part of being human, and it's probably good to keep ourselves in check a little bit. Thanks for contributing to the discussion!

  • http://www.smallhandsbigideas.blogspot.com Grace Boyle

    I believe this is part of an everyday struggle in life. I am pretty sure that the real road blocks in life are usually the ones we create or believe in. Interesting thoughts…I wonder if someone can ever fully overcome their own defeating beliefs 100%?

  • http://www.lifeschocolates.com sameve

    Grace: You're right, it is an every day struggle. And you raise a really interesting question, can we ever fully overcome our own defeating beliefs 100%? I don't think we can, but that's not a bad thing. It's part of being human, and it's probably good to keep ourselves in check a little bit. Thanks for contributing to the discussion!

  • Pingback: Tweets that mention Life Is Like a Box of Chocolates » Blog Archive » Tearing Down the Roadblocks We’ve Built on the Path to Success -- Topsy.com

Previous post:

Next post: