Obstacle, obstruction, barrier.  List all of the obstacles in the path of your success. What I’d like to do is start defining listing and talking about all of the various obstacles.

I will use kayaking as a metaphor

When I first started kayaking I was very enthusiastic about it

I didn’t mind the work getting the boat to the water

It was exciting, an adventure

It was new

I made mistakes, forgot things, fell in the water

The bad thing with motivation is it fades

After while getting the boat to the water became a chore

It’s a lot of work to load the boat on the car

Pack the gear

Unload the boat and bring it to the water

Go kayaking

Reverse the process, go home

Wash off everything and put it away

I went kayaking less and less

Then I stopped altogether

After the enthusiasm faded, getting the boat to the water became the obstacle

How do we remove the obstacle blocking you from your goals?

Get a house near the water

Get a trailer for the kayak

Get a truck so you can throw it in the back/flatbed

These options are expensive and/or big life changes

There are cheaper solutions

Rent a kayak at the destination

Make friends with someone near the water

Get an inflatable or collapsible kayak

These solutions are more feasible but become more complicated to execute

Shift your paradigm

Accept that it takes a lot of time and effort to get the boat to the water

Learn to enjoy the process of getting the boat to the water

Systematize the process of getting the boat to the water – streamline effort

These solutions are most difficult because the mind is hard to change

It’s easier to buy a thing than it is to change your mind

For some it’s not getting the boat to the water that is the obstacle

Incompetence can ruin the experience

You forget sunscreen and get a bad burn

You paddle too far and can’t make it back (easily)

You get caught in a storm that scares the crap out of you

Bad experiences can become associated with the activity

Once associated, the activity loses its luster

In NLP this is anchoring

Another obstacle is comparing your performance to others

You think you are the bomb running or biking, then a friend casually tells of going twice the distance in half the time

You feel deflated, why bother when you suck so bad

If you can’t be good at it, you quit

Overcome this by telling yourself that you enjoy doing it and screw what others do/say/think

You compare you to yourself

Be careful, this is insidious

It can creep in over time

A few times you run, but can’t go as fast or as far as you did before

You become demoralized at the fact you are not improving each time

Get use to the fact that you can’t perform your best all the time

Some running is better than no running

Be ok with finishing 2nd place to yourself

Beware of behavior creep

You skip a day at the gym

Next week you skip another

Before you know it you are going maybe once a week

Then not at all

Monitor your progress, track results, give yourself a minimum standard

Are you forcing yourself to do something you don’t like?

You start running to get in shape

But you hate running

Willpower will get you running and keep you running for a while

Willpower will not last forever

You hate it, you eventually quit (behavior creep)

Pick a physical activity you enjoy doing

The fact you enjoy it will keep you doing it

Sustainability is most important

Running may burn more calories, but if you hate it you will eventually quit

If you like walking or biking, do that instead. In the long run it pays off

Ending things with

procrastination