“ Barriers are not Road Blocks, they are Detours!”

We all experienced the feeling of when we have eagerly yearned for something, whether it is a new job or a certain relationship, when all of a sudden you hit a snag and then stall on the highway. No matter how many times you try to start the engine again the motor just will not kick over? You envision yourself slamming on the steering wheel numerous times as the steam comes billowing out from underneath the hood. There it is, your dream just died and you are out in the middle of a highway with no signs of life. Baffling especially when the situation seemed so promising in the beginning, right? You just hit a barrier.

“Barriers in life are removable.”

Barriers in life are removable. Did you hear me? Barriers are not road blocks they are just detours directing you to a path to where you are supposed to go. Just like Dorothy in the “Wizard of Oz”, Glinda the good witch says to Dorothy that she “always had the power to go back to Kansas”, but that Dorothy couldn’t be told that she had the power all along, she had to learn it for herself. You have the same power to follow your detour before it stops you and becomes a road block. Rather than focusing on the barrier as the end and this stopping you from following your true path, barriers are meant to tell us that there is a different route to take. They are detours!

Staying in a job that is miserable or a relationship that is unhappy and unhealthy is a huge sign that you have stayed too long. You have essentially run over the barrier into a restricted area. An area that was not supposed to be inhabited by the human soul and is toxic and dangerous. The barrier is in place to warn us that a job or relationship is over and we must move on. We must follow the detour to the next job or relationship which is usually around the corner waiting. Think of your journey as steps that started out perfect and became cracked and pieces missing to where it becomes difficult to walk and then soon difficult to stand. Why wouldn’t you jump over to a path that is smooth and even and can help you move faster to where you are supposed to be? The correct path is always well lit and you can usually see the road ahead with no obstructions.

“Fitting a square peg into a round hole” is a popular description when a situation or relationship is not working. We like to ignore all the signs that something is not right? We force the peg into the hole up to the point of when it is slightly resting enough to where we have to use all our power to keep it where it is. This is called a “constant struggle to make something work”. I have learned that when a situation such as a job is not working; relationships with co-workers are difficult, being recognized for your hard work is unnoticed or the feeling of walking through quick sand is the daily norm, it is time to make a change. You are being shown that it is time to move on or your “barrier” has revealed itself and your “detour” is waiting.

Why would anyone stay in a horrible situation for a long period of time? The answer is; most of us do? The conventional thinking is, “I can make it work”, or “I can change this person”. Difficulty is part of life and no one is saying that all situations and circumstances should be easy. No, they should be met with challenges and require a little heavy breathing. These types of challenges are what make us strong. You know deep down inside when it is time to move on, you know when a barrier is being placed in front of you. Do not make it a road block. Do not stay stuck forever. Dorothy! “You have the power the entire time”.

Working your way toward recognizing barriers takes some work and some knee scrapes from falling down a few times. Believe me, I am a recovering victim of self-pity, self-loathing and daily crankiness against society. My rock-bottom was getting to the point of feeling sick and tired of feeling unhappy! If it was easy for me to be unhappy about nothing and about everything then it was just as easy for me to switch the light onto being happy. No, not wearing “rose colored glasses” to mask reality, but concentrating on what situations and moments are healthy and soulful. Savoring these situations even cultivating them so that they grow and yield more fruit. Good soil yields wonderful healthy crops the same as good thoughts and habits breed a colorful garden with more and more good thoughts.

“Open your mind, Open your Life”…….

Begin with small changes. I was never a big reader of books. The sports page of the Sunday Newspaper was the extent of my reading habits. Knowing this about myself I went for the smallest book possible both in numbers of pages and in size. Located in local bookstores you can find a rack of literally “tiny” books about 3 inches by 3 inches. Inspirational booklets that have one or two sentences on each page. The one that comes to mind is one called “Open your mind, Open your Life”. Each page is devoted to Eastern Wisdom and gives you little nuggets of inspiration; “True happiness is within us all; we have only to reveal it”. This is the opening line on the inside of the cover. “Never seek happiness outside yourself”, and “Life isn’t about what happens to us; it’s about what we perceive happens to us”, are just a few powerful declarations in this tiny book. I have since graduated to many other regular size Inspirational books by Joyce Meyer, Tim Tebow, Michael Singer of “Untethered Soul” fame Etc. I read a couple of pages a day so that I can digest the message. Reading is not a race it is truly a marathon. Other than reading for a high school assignment or book club, there is no timetable for reading for self-improvement. Take your time and let it sync in to your brain then down to your soul. “Don’t sweat the small stuff, and it’s all small stuff” is another book that helped me to stop worrying about every little daily bump in the road. This book is small in actual size and about 240 pages. A great read that really helped me understand that life is full of difficulties and you cannot possibly worry about everything that goes wrong because then your day will be consumed with anxiety. Anxiety leads to sleepless nights and then poor health.

“Don’t sweat the small stuff, and it’s all small stuff”…………

Do not let anyone tell you how or where you should channel your inspiration from. Everyone is different and we all have our “positive triggers”. Find what works for you! If it yields a positive outcome for yourself and for others then the source only matters to you, right? Barriers are not roadblocks and you always have the power to remove them. If you listen closely you can actually hear self exhaling!

“Barriers are not roadblocks and you always have the power to remove them.”