Roadblocks Part 2

So, what exactly are roadblocks?

By definition, a roadblock is something that blocks progress or prevents the accomplishment of an objective.

In my life, they tend to look like:

• A lack of confidence in myself

• Fear of being judged

• Perfectionism

For you, they may show up in similar ways or completely different, but none the less they all feel the same way. You know what I’m talking about, that gnawing feeling surrounded by anxiety and frustration with a side of paralyzation.

But, I think that if we are able to shift our perspective, then we can actually see roadblocks as less of a deterrent and more of a road map.

Now that we have a better understanding of what they are, let’s talk about ways to overcome them and use them to our advantage. We may see them as something blocking our way or keeping us from getting to our destination, but what if I told you that roadblocks are actually there to help us. I know, I know, I don’t care for that kind of help either, but it’s what life gives us to teach us the lessons we need to learn.

So, here are 3 tips to help turn your roadblocks into your roadmap.

1. Shift your perspective. This one is probably the most important in my book! It’s like when I tell my 8-year-old to clean his room and in that very moment, I can see his world exploding into tiny shreds of misery. Even after I tell him that I will help him and it will only take 5 minutes, he can’t even muster up the will to stop whining and complaining to pick up his dirty damn sock and toss them into the laundry basket. Now, the second that I turn it into a game, he starts to piece his obliterated world back together with the promise hanging onto each word I speak that it could possibly be fun. And then after we start and I say the magic words “I bet I can beat you!” It turns from cleaning up his room to an exciting adventure where he must destroy the Mother of all laundry monsters! And Voila! His room is suddenly clean (ish let’s be real) and the world is no longer destroyed.
2. TAKE ACTION. You know that whole saying “a body in motion stays in motion”? Well, as annoying as it is, it’s actually pretty freaking true. Have you ever noticed that when you needed to do the dishes, you wind up cleaning up way more than anticipated? Like you just got on a roll and couldn’t stop? It felt so good to clean the dishes and to be able to see your countertops again that you took that momentum and carried it into the living room or the laundry room and totally kicked ass all because you needed to do dishes. Well, it’s because the second we take action, the anxiety of the tasks lifts a little and we can see things a little different and then it doesn’t look as big or as scary as it did before in the procrastination stage. So, if you’re needing to start something remember, just take action! No matter how big or how small it is. Just get the ball rolling!
3. SURRENDER. Surrendering may sound like you’re just rolling over and giving in, but I’ve actually learned that surrendering can be one of the most powerful tools we have. It isn’t handing over your power and saying “I can’t do this, I’m not good enough.” It’s actually pausing, taking a deep breath, turning around and removing the mask off the scary beast that haunts you to look it in the eyes and say “Okay, you’ve caught up to me. Now let’s do something about it.” When we are able to face the very thing that blocks us, we are saying (to ourselves) that we can endure this. No matter how hard or difficult it may be, we can turn inwards, surrender and accept the path in front of us. Not to fight it, but to accept it and move forward anyway. 

I wish I could tell you that we can just go over the roadblocks or around them, but that would just be called avoidance. We must go through them in order to get to the other side. For me, the perfect example of all of this is me writing these posts. I struggle with it on the daily. When I say I am no writer, I mean I am in no way a writer. But, creating content is something that is important for me to do with the blog and I just have to move the perfectionism aspect of me aside and do it anyway. So what if my posts aren’t poetic or downright hilarious? I’m still writing them because it’s something that is both important TO me and important FOR me. It’s teaching me that when I face my fears and power through, the feeling of accomplishment is more important than the actual result.