How to Stop Getting in Your Own Way

If you want to increase your chances of achieving what matters most to you in your life or work, it is important to make sure you are not getting in your own way of the progress and results you desire.

What I mean by that is that, often, we are being driven by things like behaviours and habits, negative mindset patterns, emotions, procrastination, self-doubt, imposter syndrome, fear, limiting beliefs, etc., to name but a few.

At best, these things slow down progress. At worst they will stop you achieving the outcomes your desire totally.   

A way to deal with this effectively is to assess how you might be getting in your own way and identifying the things you can do to change that so you can set yourself up to succeed.

Here are three practical steps to help you get started with that:

Step 1 – Do a self-assessment to identify the specific ways you are getting in your own way and what is driving those things. 

Consider things like your behaviours, habits, mindset, and emotions. What is driving those things? What is triggering them? What is the real source of the things you are doing that are contributing to you getting in your own way? What needs to change? What do you need to learn? Write down everything that comes up for you as you do your self-assessment.

The point of doing this is to create awareness. Awareness is the first step in creating change.

Step 2 – Turn your awareness into action

Awareness on its own changes nothing. You need to take the awareness you have created in step 1 and turn it into specific and tangible actions and plans that will drive change and facilitate you getting out of your own way.

Step 3 – Get real and be kind to yourself!

If the things that contribute to you getting in your own way are linked to deeply entrenched habits, behaviours, mindset patterns, and emotions, you are not going to change them overnight. Changing those sort of things takes time, patience, hard work, persistence, and commitment. The path of change isn’t linear. So set your expectations accordingly. Focus on progress, not perfection. Be kind to yourself. Beating yourself up if it gets messy or you make mistakes serves no useful purpose.

If you suspect you might be getting in your own way, give these three steps a go and commit to breaking the cycle. The benefits are worth the effort.

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