I have been involved in a couple calls this week with my fellow members of the John Maxwell Team talking about the terror barrier.  We have had some great conversation on defeating the fears that hold us back from achieving what we want.

There is typically something, or multiple things, that we believe to be true that hold us back. We are simply afraid to accept the possibility that we can overcome the fear and complete a task on a schedule that we created rather than what the world will allow.

Words like “try”, “should”, and “some” impede what our true desire is to accomplish greatness.  These words suggest an intent but not a specific nor strategic way of getting it done.  I used to use these words in almost everything I was doing and the funny thing is that very few things ever changed.

Now I use words like “will”, “started on” and “completed by.”  Words like “some” and “more” have been replaced with specific measurable numbers so I can see if I am tracking or not.

A large part of my problem with the terror barrier is that I did not understand how to overcome the fear, basically I was a conscious incompetent.  I knew there was a way to overcome the fear but never took the necessary steps to identify them in order to defeat them.

I guess I could describe it like this, have you ever been lost while driving and had no idea where you were going or perhaps even where you were?  You knew how to drive, you just had no direction, no road map.  I find it very interesting how men never ask for directions.  Is it because we are afraid to?  Maybe it’s because we don’t want some one else to tell us where we need to go even though we don’t know ourselves.

For me, this was my terror barrier.  I was driving without a direction.  Like the GPS devices available in our vehicles today, I was going through life waiting for “In one-quarter mile, turn left onto 18th street.”  Then I would continue down 18th street until I was given my next direction.  I was afraid to create my own map and follow it.

I would argue that everyone has some kind of terror barrier holding them back.  Unless a person has completely mastered their life with a plan so specific that they know every move they will make, there will always be that “something more” to achieve.

So how do we overcome this terror barrier?  To start, we need to become a conscious competent.  We need to identify what that  road map looks like and make sure that every turn is identified.  One missed turn will take us completely of course prevent us from reaching our destination.

Once we clearly see our path, we will be empowered to defeat the fear and reach that destination we intended to go.  Travel this path successfully and pretty soon we can get from A to B and not even remember the trip – the unconscious competent.

I don’t know what your fear is or what the terror barrier is that is holding you back from achieving your goal or dream.  But I do know this – you can overcome it.

Stop trying to understand why you can’t accomplish something and start thinking about how you can accomplish it.  Do this and all those limiting beliefs that have kept you living someone else’s travel plans will be overcome.

Do you have enough fuel in the tank to get to where you want to go?  The only way you will know is if you have identified the destination you wish to reach.  It’s time to make your own travel plans, get in the driver’s seat and put your vehicle in drive.  Just make sure you have the right map!  

***********************************************************************

Don’t miss a single post from Building What Matters by subscribing at the top left of this page. 

Help support us by clicking here and Liking our facebook page

Barry Smith   www.buildingwhatmatters.com   1/11/13            photo by author