There is light at the end of the tunnel - obstacles and what they teach us
I was determined to do this. Whenever we determin to do something we will encounter obstacles, in fact if we don't encounter obstacles then maybe we aren't challenging ourselves enough.
The thing is with obstacles, we just don't know what they will be. Thats not to say we don't think ahead about what we think may be a challenge, of course we do that. But when we start to take the action, we discover that often what we thought would be a challenge isn't, and instead we are given a whole new challenge that we did not foresee.
Here are three examples of challenges, that I didn't expect:
1. Niche - When I started my first assumption was that the Niche aspect would be simple for me. That was the one thing in fact that attracted me to WA, we are encouraged to go with what we love and make that our niche. It never occured to me that it would become the first biggest stumbling block.
2. Overwhelm - I'm always learning new skills, so thats not realy a problem, I enjoy it and the way WA is laid out, it's realy straight forward. But as I had come to WA from a completely different online training and had been researching different things, I was still reeling with all the other things that I had been trying to do, and was tsill trying to do.
3. Fear - fear of failure isn't something I wasn't expecting, but I didn't expect it to stop me in my tracks for long periods of time. Jugling freelancing with family will keep anyone busy and building a new business online is a leap of faith when your time is precious. Freelancers are used to risk, so fear is always managable. But why did it stop me for so long? Looks like a great opportunity to learn something very useful about myself!
Well obsacles have a use, they are only stopping us because they are trying to teach us something, there is a gap in our knowledge, or self understanding, and we need to stop and fill that gap with something profound, and often annoyingly simple.
So here's what my obstacles taught me:
1. Niche - its not about the topic itself, its about who wants to know about it. Who is your audience, who are you talking to? Visualise your audience, better still find someone you know who is your perfect audience, who do you already know who realy wants to know all about your topic/subject? Make that website for them. And send them a link to it. Keep making that website for the real people you know who want to know about this subject. The extra benefit is that the blogs will be easier to write and they will feel more friendly and have more of your personality in them. This completely transformed what I was doing and why - and it became so much easier to do!
2. Overwhelm - the only thing that realy exists is what you have done. What you will do or could do, doesn't exist. The only thing that will make a difference is what exists. The space in your head is an illusion. If you are experiencing overwhelm, stop thinking, just do. This actually gave me my brand name - Just Make. (JustMakeVR, JustMakeAnimation, JustMakeContent). Just Do It. Thanks Nike!
3. Fear - Am I frightened of failure? So what if I do fail, so what if I do look like an idiot! So what if I'm not what I ought to be. Or am I frightened of success? The guilt associated with being better than I should be. Maybe that my partner will leave me because I have wasted so much time and still I don't earn enough. These all seem tangible and concious, but somehow I don't realy believe it. Somehow there is something so simple, so basic, so bland underneath all this, that I'd rather dress it up in something more interesting like ..."what if...". What is right underneath all this stuff is Fear of Change, simple fear of the unknown. And that is the silent powerful force that keeps us in the Status Quo throughout our lives. But its also a neccessary balancing force because change is a constant, and we can't avoid it. So if balance must be maintained, then I should give myself a routine for any new project. The routine will give me the sence of continuity that is needed in the ballance, on the other side change/the unknown is acceptable in equal measure.
So what are three obstacles you have had, and what did they teach you?
Please leave a comment below!
Recent Comments
2
I think it's a fear of the unknown that is common with people who don't plan for things. Just like you will consistently want somebody else to go first.
Uncertainty is present anytime that fear is present, it's similar to rejection and criticism. You become afraid because you think the opinion of another matters, when it's merely just one viewpoint.
Overwhelm is something you will experience because you face new information and then become worried that it's wrong or too difficult for you to understand.
The cure for all of them is to learn about who you are and then plan to take each step as it needs to happen. Mistakes are one of the spots where an obstacle gets too much focus since you overthink your actions.
Instead of just doing it, you stop and ponder what if something happens that I didn't plan for? What if I look foolish, stupid, or cannot figure out a move that makes sense.
In order to be at your most effective and efficient pace, you must not only challenge yourself but also need to seek more thrills. Once you know what thrills you, it's also possible to start giving yourself rewards.
When you can get to the things that you truly desire you have found a way to be unstoppable.
Eric
Well said Lucy. My perceived obstacles were. Time, Fear of failure, fear of writing. But I have now overcome all three. Jim