In our daily lives, there are natural barriers that often interfere with our goals. They are things that easily prevent us from doing the things we need to do in order to be successful.
I used to weigh about 170 lbs. I was slightly overweight according to my BMI, but it was a weight that I felt was healthy enough. A few months after graduating from college I hopped on the scale and the cold, hard truth hit me. 197 lbs. Whoa. How did I get this far? Well, as a bachelor, it’s easy. No exercise and eating without discrimination. I decided that wasn’t how I wanted to live, so I changed the game. I got a fitness tracker, started learning about nutrition, and began exercising. It wasn’t always easy and there were natural barriers that I had to overcome, but I knew it was worth the cost.
If you’re trying to be more productive in the morning, your natural barrier is going to be your wake up time. Your body is used to waking up at a certain time and doesn’t take kindly to your newly set alarm. It’s not that your body won’t adjust, it’s that your mind has to tell it that this is something you really want.
If you want to lose weight, that dang Krispy Kreme on your way to work is going to be your enemy. It will stare at you every morning, the “Hot Doughnuts Now” sign is a siren's call luring you towards the rocks. The snack aisle at the grocery store will be your enemy. The availability of all those things that taste so good and are so bad for you will be your natural barrier.
If you’re looking to accomplish more things in your day, your schedule is going to be the natural barrier. It’s a time-based geometry project in which you have to fit all of the pieces.
Why are natural barriers so hard to overcome? Because they are keeping you from the biggest payoffs. Anytime something can dramatically improve your life, it will hide behind discipline and hard work. The best fruits in life are not for the lazy and unmotivated, they’re for the disciplined. The best things in life are reserved for those who will really work for them. Everyone has the capacity to work for and achieve them, but not everyone wants it that badly.
Every challenge is an opportunity. Each time you face resistance in your quest for change, you’ll find an opportunity. Maybe it will be the opportunity to learn more about yourself or an opportunity to get a small win that will build momentum. Growth comes from adversity. Growth comes from beating the odds. Growth comes from doing something you never thought was possible.
There are precious few people who are motivated enough to break through natural barriers. For those who do, there awaits a horizon of possibilities.
Tags: Wellness
