Day 11: Obstacle Busting
What obstacles have you identified so far?
List ’em — don’t contemplate just list quick.
People:
Timing:
Places:
Fears:
Knowledge:
Confusions:
Energy:
Will:
Gear:
Here’s your Quick and Dirty Master Class of Obstacle Busting.
Obstacle Busting Technique 1: One Literal Step
One foot at time across the perilous tight rope. One brick at a time to build your dream house. One sentence at a time to write your grand novel. One rep at a time to sculpt your glorious pecks.
One literal step at a time to run your literal marathon.
Focus on one step. Only ever one step.
O.B.T. 2: Go Tiny or Go Home
One step seem like too big a leap? Go tiny. Do one teeny weeny teensy tiny incremental move now. That’s all, and forever. Inch your toes forward.
Shuffle your dirty knees just a bit down the row as you plant your garden inch by inch.
O.B.T. 3: Don’t Use Will Power, Use Weakness
Feeling frustrated? Banging your head against the wall? Will power won’t help you smash through this wall, softness will. Get vulnerable, soft, empathic.
Relax your fist, let down your guard. Open to weakness and imperfection. Maybe then new possibilities emerge before you.
Maybe the obstacle dissolves in lockstep with your firm will to smash it.
Maybe through vulnerability you make a connection to someone who can help.
O.B.T. 4: Face Your Fears
We got lotsa fears. Rejection, failure, making mistakes, losing, looking dumb, being wrong. Have you checked in on these lately? They may be secretly behind the scenes fucking you up.
Check in on them to see if they are pulling the strings. They may be projecting another obstacle to distract you from them — they are the real obstacles.
Name them. Seek to understand them. Say them out loud to someone on your team and describe them. Lay them at the alter of empathy.
O.B.T. 5: Other Humans
Other people: maybe your biggest strength and your greatest weakness. Your pain and your enlightenment.
Who is truly on your team? Ask your gut. Where can you get your most enduring and deepest support? This team can and will help you.
Develop your team, your fam, your circle of trust, your kind and generous counselors.
They will help with this obstacle busting thing.
O.B.T. 6: Will Power
Yes! A powerful power. One to use sometimes, not rely on always.
A hammer alone won’t build a house, but it’s an essential tool to be used in the appropriate hammer moments.
There are times to push yourself. There are times to sprint. Not always. Not even the fastest 100-meter runner in the world is always sprinting.
Sprint wisely.
Use your will power in the context of a greater authentic vision and lifestyle. Choose the things that you both feel in your gut and expand you beyond yourself.
O.B.T. 7: Priorities
Ask yourself, what is really important?
Stop pussy footing around. Choose the important stuff.
TIP: Fuck will power, use these other techniques.
PERMISSION: Fuck this obstacle, walk another way entirely.
ACTION: Choose a technique and try it this week.
STRETCH: Choose a technique you can celebrate! And use it ALL week.
BOTTOM LINE: There are many different ways to deal with obstacles, including softness and vulnerability, other people’s help, microscopic moves forward, checking in on your fears that are secretly calling the shots, and remembering your core truths.
big hugs,
joe
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