Facing Career Barriers Together

Recording videos for our new Re-energising Your Career YouTube channel, reminded me of how I see blocks and barriers to my progress.

I see them as either:

External barriers coming from other people and the big wide world

– or –

Internal barriers coming from within me and created by yours truly 🙂

The external ones?

Well, I don’t really see them as barriers. Rather challenges to be faced. Problems to be solved. Reasons to get creative.

And when someone says, “Elaine, you can’t…”, that has, on many occasions spurred me on.

My peskiest, most tricksy barriers are those that come from within.

I know I’m not alone.

For years, inner gremlins, false beliefs and skewed perspective kept tripping me up and holding me back.

From the outside, no-one knew.

However, personally, it was wearing me out.

And to be blunt – not only it was getting tiring; it was getting so very, very boring!!

Decision time.

I had to get up close and personal with some of my internal blocks and barriers.

Reflecting on different situations and my responses to them, it soon became apparent that my biggest challenge was my inner critic.

Harsher and harder on me than I would ever dream of being with anyone else.

This voice was hard core.

Following the philosophical reflective process through, I recognised that this voice was, in its own way trying to help me and keep me safe.

Now when it makes an appearance, I say hello, thank it for its input, smile and carry on with my career adventure.

Everyone is different and has their own perspective on and experience of blocks and barriers to their progress.

To take a look at yours and break through a few:

• Approach the process with a kind heart, this is NOT an exercise is self-flagellation!
• Use past situations and your responses to help you understand your ‘whys’ today
• Remember this is an ongoing process of personal development not a quick fix, one-time only thing
• Regular reflection is about self-awareness and NOT self-obsession. Being self-aware helps you to work with others and get the best out of situations
• If you have a block or a barrier wobble, and feel the old gremlins coming back, don’t be hard on yourself, nobody’s perfect. And who the heck wants to be. There’s no fun in that at all 😉

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If you have barriers or blocks to your career success and need impartial support and motivation then the Re-energising Your Career Hub is here to help you. Private support from me. Resources to help you do your own positive self-guided reflection. Let’s bust some blockages together 🙂