How Do You React to Barriers?

by Julia Felton | Jan 27, 2012

Recently I read a great blog by John Williams of Screw Work, Let’s Play in which he advocated that if we still have not implemented the ideas that we have right now it is because there is some barrier or obstacle in our way.  Now we may not be consciously aware of what that obstacle is but rest assured it is there because if it wasn’t you would have already executed the idea.  What I found fascinating was that John reminded me of the fact that none of us has a truly unique idea.  There are 7 billion people on this planet and the chances that your idea has never flitted across the mind of any one of those people are pretty low. What is important is our attitude and willingness to change our original idea to make it work so that we can get round the barrier that is blocking our way.

Don’t believe that it is just you that encounters barriers.  Most successful people come across barriers to their success everyday, but it is how they deal with these barriers and set backs that distinguishes them from the rest.  For example when Anita Roddick opened the first Body Shop in Brighton in 1976, two neighbouring funeral parlors initially objected to the shop’s name. Rather than give up on her distinctive brand name or go hunting for new premises, Roddick fought back by suggesting to a local newspaper that she was a woman entrepreneur under siege. The publicity ended up generating traffic to the store and helped her on her first step towards the global success she later attained.

The challenge of how we react to barriers and obstacles in our life was beautifully illustrated to me last weekend by my ponies Bracken and Thistle.  We were leading them out on a walk through the countryside when suddenly we across a really muddy stretch.  The track narrowed and there was a ditch in front of us that was thick with mud and water.  The challenge was how to get across.  As I gingerly made my own way round the edge of the mud puddle I just knew that Bracken would follow me across.  Partly because she trusts me implicitly but also because she has such gusto.  She takes on anything head on, almost never thinking about the consequences of her action.  This is an admirable trait so I was not surprised when she leapt to the other side of the ditch over the muddy puddle.

Thistle however had other ideas.  She is much more cautious and likes to examine everything before proceeding.  In fact Thistle’s solution to the problem was to just plant her feet and refuse to move.  She was not prepared to make the leap.  For her the ditch was an insurmountable barrier that could not be crossed and as such she was stuck in her tracks.  I waited for about ten minutes and despite offering Thistle some gentle persuasion nothing was going to make her move, she was stuck.  Paralysed by the fear of moving forward.  For me her action so beautifully reflected that I often experience in my own life.  A fear of moving forward  means that I can get stuck when I come across problems obstacles and barriers in my business.

So what was the solution?  Well, Thistle and I went and found another route to get across the ditch, one that was not so muddy and that she could cope with.  Would she has found that route by herself, probably not, which is why we need mentors and business coaches to help us find the way round obstacles when they come up in our own lives.  There is always a solution to everything it is just that often we can’t see the wood for the trees.

So next time you come across a barrier or obstacle in your life you can either leap across it like Bracken, stay stuck like Thistle did initially or seek out support to help you find another way just Thistle finally did.  What will you do to get through the inevitable barriers that will show up in your life or business?.  Post your comments below to let me know.