What it *really* means to “remove barriers & blockers” in coaching

My second favourite question to ask in a coaching session is:

Why don’t you have what you want?

(If you want to know my favourite, check it out here).

When we think about why we don’t have what we want, the first answer that comes to mind is the one that’s easy and accessible. Maybe it's an old story we’ve been telling ourselves or one we’ve heard someone else share. But it’s never the real answer.

In coaching conversations with clients, the real answer is always found lying a couple layers underneath the surface. By allowing the question to linger, to create space for the answer, we challenge our thinking and speak through it out loud. As a result:

We can unlock the true source of our resistance.

This is the process of “removing barriers and blockers” that so many talk about. It is taking the time to answer the question deeply and honestly; a requirement if we want to move forward towards our goals and ultimately accelerate our path to success. In other words, it’s the process of getting out of our own way - a tough thing to do on your own but transformational with an effective coach.

I asked a client the aforementioned question and their initial response was a lack of experience. But something didn’t add up. After all, they wanted to build a business based on their own experience - having a lack of it was an excuse we could easily dismiss and move past.

What was really holding up progress and productivity?

Was the burden of overwhelm and indecision only another excuse in disguise?

As we started to dive deeper, the answer fell out of their mouth and into the space with relief and astonishment. This story is powerful because it is relatable for anyone wanting to start a business, a new job, a new career, or simply a new hobby or activity. New is scary because new is unfamiliar. The discomfort can stop us dead in our tracks.

What is keeping so many of us back?

The fear of wasting time by not doing it “the right way”.

After all, it is easier to stay the same. To avoid the new. And if we don’t do it the “right way” the first time, then we haven’t wasted time. If we do nothing, then we don’t carry the burden of wasted time - we don’t carry guilt or shame around trying something that didn’t work or didn’t result in the way we thought it would.

In fact, we don’t do anything at all. In other words:

“Are you doing everything without doing anything?”

Yep. My client had a laundry list of ideas and inspired actions to take, but they weren’t doing any of it in fear that they would choose the wrong thing and in choosing the wrong thing, valuable time would be wasted.

But here’s the thing:

Action begets action begets action… this is what it means to build momentum.

This is what it means to accelerate your path to success. By simply removing the barrier of “wasting time on the wrong thing” and shifting into “taking inspired action in pursuit of the good thing”, the path is clear for you to move as fast as you want towards where you want to go.

This isn’t to say go out there and see what sticks without intention; absolutely stay connected to your purpose and your Why for wanting your goal to come to life.

But if we don’t start somewhere, we’ll never get anywhere.

In other words: the best way to use your time is to start wasting it.

Stop wasting time thinking about wasting time and start taking action in service of what you want.

When we acknowledge what’s keeping us from taking action, what's keeping us from moving forward, we’ve gained clarity by moving through our thinking. Further, by speaking it out loud it holds power. This is the real breakthrough: by sharing out loud what is holding you back, you have already started moving in the right direction. You have already taken action.

By simply speaking it out loud, you’ve created accountability.

When you remove blockers such as “wasting time”, it accelerates your path to success because you’re no longer stewing, you’re no longer sitting in the “I don’t know what to do” or “What do I do next?”.

You don’t waste time at all; in fact, you get time back because you can move forward with clarity, intention, and momentum.

Kirsten Schmidtke is a professional coach, speaker, and lover of lake life. She works with leaders, creators, and entrepreneurs to help them up-level their careers, businesses, and lives. Are you ready to explore what’s possible for you? Contact Kirsten to start the conversation!