Removing obstacles

One of the most important aspects of being able to do the things that you want is being able to remove obstacles from your path. If you are able to do this well, you will be able to get a lot more done.

There are three main ways of removing obstacles from your path.

Turn Back!

Turn Back!

1. Change the path you are walking.

In simple terms this means letting the fact there is an obstacle determine that you are no longer going to walk that route. The effort needed to overcome the obstacle is more than you are willing to expend in order to reach the final result.

Note that this is a perfectly legitimate response where the outcome is not that important to you, or the effort required is too great for you to be able to cope with at this point in your life.

2. Walk around the obstacle.

Walking Around

This is a technique that can be used where the end result is more important than the means of getting there. For instance, if there is a road accident up ahead, it would be most sensible to find a different route to get to your destination instead of turning back, or trying to drive straight through the accident point. You arrive at the same destination, but have taken a slightly different route to get there from the one you desired.

3. Move the obstacle.

Moving Rocks

This may be potentially the most effort, but also likely the most rewarding, simply because the outcome is worth the effort of moving the obstacle. If you imagine being in a car with a few friends driving down a country lane, when suddenly you encounter a tree that has fallen in the middle of the road. You pull to a stop, jump out of the car and go to work hauling the tree out of the way so you can continue your journey. That tree will (probably) not bother you the next time you drive down that road.

All of the above assumes that you are using the achievement-as-journey metaphor, which of course you may not be doing. I would be interested to see how other people frame problems, how they look at obstacles, and what metaphors they use.

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posted: 08 September 26
under: Life Hacks