Obstacle, obstruction, barrier.  List all of the obstacles in the path of your success. What I’d like to do is start defining listing and talking about all of the various obstacles.

  • I will use kayaking as a metaphor
  • When I first started kayaking I was very enthusiastic about it
    • I didn’t mind the work getting the boat to the water
    • It was exciting, an adventure
    • It was new
    • I made mistakes, forgot things, fell in the water
  • The bad thing with motivation is it fades
    • After while getting the boat to the water became a chore
    • It’s a lot of work to load the boat on the car
    • Pack the gear
    • Unload the boat and bring it to the water
    • Go kayaking
    • Reverse the process, go home
    • Wash off everything and put it away
  • I went kayaking less and less
  • Then I stopped altogether
  • After the enthusiasm faded, getting the boat to the water became the obstacle
  • How do we remove the obstacle blocking you from your goals?
    • Get a house near the water
    • Get a trailer for the kayak
    • Get a truck so you can throw it in the back/flatbed
    • These options are expensive and/or big life changes
  • There are cheaper solutions
    • Rent a kayak at the destination
    • Make friends with someone near the water
    • Get an inflatable or collapsible kayak
    • These solutions are more feasible but become more complicated to execute
  • Shift your paradigm
    • Accept that it takes a lot of time and effort to get the boat to the water
    • Learn to enjoy the process of getting the boat to the water
    • Systematize the process of getting the boat to the water – streamline effort
    • These solutions are most difficult because the mind is hard to change
    • It’s easier to buy a thing than it is to change your mind
  • For some it’s not getting the boat to the water that is the obstacle
    • Incompetence can ruin the experience
    • You forget sunscreen and get a bad burn
    • You paddle too far and can’t make it back (easily)
    • You get caught in a storm that scares the crap out of you
    • Bad experiences can become associated with the activity
    • Once associated, the activity loses its luster
    • In NLP this is anchoring
  • Another obstacle is comparing your performance to others
    • You think you are the bomb running or biking, then a friend casually tells of going twice the distance in half the time
    • You feel deflated, why bother when you suck so bad
    • If you can’t be good at it, you quit
    • Overcome this by telling yourself that you enjoy doing it and screw what others do/say/think
  • You compare you to yourself
    • Be careful, this is insidious
    • It can creep in over time
    • A few times you run, but can’t go as fast or as far as you did before
    • You become demoralized at the fact you are not improving each time
    • Get use to the fact that you can’t perform your best all the time
    • Some running is better than no running
    • Be ok with finishing 2nd place to yourself
  • Beware of behavior creep
    • You skip a day at the gym
    • Next week you skip another
    • Before you know it you are going maybe once a week
    • Then not at all
    • Monitor your progress, track results, give yourself a minimum standard
  • Are you forcing yourself to do something you don’t like?
    • You start running to get in shape
    • But you hate running
    • Willpower will get you running and keep you running for a while
    • Willpower will not last forever
    • You hate it, you eventually quit (behavior creep)
    • Pick a physical activity you enjoy doing
    • The fact you enjoy it will keep you doing it
    • Sustainability is most important
    • Running may burn more calories, but if you hate it you will eventually quit
    • If you like walking or biking, do that instead. In the long run it pays off
  • Ending things with
    • procrastination