What Are the (Perceived) Barriers to Achieving Your Dreams? 

“Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off the road.”

– Henry Ford

And yet…it is kinda important to be aware of the obstacles.

If you are a long-time reader of my blog, you may recall a book manuscript I was working on a few years back, entitled, “Barrier Removed; A Tough Love Guide for Achieving Your Dreams.”

Although the manuscript is taking longer than I’d hoped to complete, it IS still very much in the works (and is very cool, I must say).

So, as an interim measure, I whipped up the “Barrier Removed” quote card set – a compilation of daily affirmations – that will go with the book. The quote cards (30 per set) are now ready and they look fabulous!

They are available in our Etsy shop.

Each quote is a tangible tip or sage bit of wisdom that pertains to developing the mindset & habits that are conducive to achieving goals & pursuing dreams.

And dealing with obstacles – barriers – is a big part of that process!

Here are a few of the quotes: 

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.”

– Aristotle

“The most difficult thing is the decision to act. The rest is merely tenacity.”

– Amelia Earhart

“Your work is to discover your work, and then with all your heart to give yourself to it.”

– Buddha

“Those who say it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it.”

– Chinese proverb

“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.”

– Theodore Roosevelt

“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.”

– Lao Tzu

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.”

– Mark Twain

“It is never too late to be what you might have been.”

– George Eliot

As for the “Barrier Removed” concept?

I was driving down the highway a few years ago and saw this road sign:

I’m sure you’ve seen this construction sign as well in your travels.

But on that particular day, the sign struck me as a potentially useful analogy to achieving our dreams. For what is a road but our path through life?

And when is this particular sign used?

When a) the road ahead is under construction – and the pursuit of a dream is a certainly a period of construction in our lives – and b) the safety barrier that is normally in place, along this stretch of road, is no longer there.

The “Barrier Removed” construction sign warns us of potential danger ahead. But the purpose of the sign is not to terrify us into turning around and going back from where we came from. Rather, the sign is there to let us know to proceed with caution…slow down and pay attention because the familiar barriers that have been in place – often for decades – are now gone.

And although that makes the road ahead more dangerous than it used to be, it is definitely still passable.

Interestingly, we often don’t even notice the barriers – such as guard railings – along the road until after they are gone…and only because a big orange sign says: BARRIER REMOVED.

So, too, with the barriers to achieving our dreams.

And yet, imagining them removed is an interesting exercise.

For who would we be without these barriers – our fears, excuses, procrastination, bad habits, poor time management, inability to focus, allowing ourselves to be distracted, our refusal to take our dreams seriously, our insistence on putting other people’s needs and wants before our own, a lack of motivation, and so on – in place?

At the end of the day, the truth is:

I learned this the hard way, about my writing, many years ago. And in many ways, I am still learning this.

But that’s okay…the road through life is, hopefully, a long one. Identifying barriers and overcoming obstacles is an integral part of the journey. That’s often where the most important lessons are learned. 

To order the “Barrier Removed” quote cards, please visit our Etsy shop.

Maryanne Pope is the author of “A Widow’s Awakening.” She also writes screenplays, playscripts and blogs. Maryanne is the CEO of Pink Gazelle Productions and a Director with the John Petropoulos Memorial Fund. To receive her blog, “Weekly Words of Wisdom,” please subscribe here.