Thomas Jefferson once
proclaimed that “nothing can stop the man with the right mindset from achieving
his goals. Nothing on Earth can help the man with the wrong mindset.” The tenor
behind this extract seems simple enough: one who wishes to achieve something
need only put their mind to it. Clearly this seems to concur with Henry ford’s
memorable saying, “whether you think you can or can’t, you’re right.” However,
thing’s are often easier said than done. But why is that? Why is it that we can
tell ourselves what we need to have done, envision every possible outcome or
repercussion that could subsequently occur as a result of any taken action, but
we cannot put words into action? It seems like an interesting topic to orient
our discussion today around, mostly because it is a very relatable topic.
The idea behind
self-imposed barriers is one that is often met with much criticism; few wish to
acknowledge that the thing keeping them from their desires is themselves. And
again, it must be recognized that everyone experiences the drawbacks of a
self-imposed barrier, as everyone has dealt with the difficulties of grasping
the fruits of their strenuous activity. What is this self-imposed barrier
though? I think it’s that innate thought process in everyone’s mind that
convinces their person that taking a “safer” and “inactive” approach is the
most convenient method of avoiding failure.
Now interestingly enough, Harvard University
recently announced its contribution to the career options available to people:
the analytic leader. They state that “these are people
who are facile with data, strong analytically, and who know how to think about
problem solving.” What is the link between these analytic leaders and the
self-imposed barriers? I personally believe it to be that these analysts are
qualified for their respective careers BECAUSE they are able to surpass their
own self-imposed barriers. Now step back and examine what makes this career
path so prestigious and honorable; it’s the fact that these individuals are
specifically trained and oriented to either solve or circumlocute a problem.
Then comes the issue of a person being unable to define
themselves, their strengths, their weaknesses, and their objectives. This is an
entirely different outlook for this same theme because in the first branch, we
acknowledged that a person knows what they want, they are just simply unable to
obtain it. In this second analysis, the person is at a loss because they are
unable to decipher what they truly desire primarily. There are certain
characters that can generally state what they “want,” or what they wish to
happen; however, there is usually no concrete plan or guideline to follow with
this end. The individual may claim that they want fame, wealth, prosperity,
health, wisdom, success, or any other sought after virtue, yet once inquired to
explain more, they fall lax in their response.
Further expansion of this topic is the inability to
assess oneself. This topic is controversial because few are tolerant enough to
hear that they may not know themselves as well as they feel they do. This
person is unable to determine their skills and talents, thus they fail to
expound on those areas of adroit action. This puts the person below their
ability to succeed, which could subsequently cause a loss of motivation,
determination, confidence in own skills, decline in presentation, or even
overall desensitization to the success of others. Conversely is the negative
effect of being unable to determine one’s own weaknesses. This can potentially
lead to a heightened feeling of self ability or worth. Both of these are
difficult to cope with because only the ends are certain, yet there is often
never a plan decided in order to achieve that end.
In the end, I leave you with these varying viewpoints on
why people have difficulty achieving their goals. Some individuals fear the
possibility of failure, and thus resolve to never try. Others may exhibit
overly heightened of depressed self esteems; this would cause them to either
over reach their true abilities and venture into territory which is not within
the scope of the person, or on the other end, a lower self esteem could simply
tell people to give up trying. What methods do you use to achieve your goals?
Do you rely on the motivation of others or do you follow a more introvert
method? It’s all in the mindset.
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