I often get the sense that when someone decides to embark on a path to personal growth, they think it’s going to be a walk in the park. You know the kind I mean … all nicely laid out paths, clear and obstacle free. No trees to climb over or rocks to scramble around. Granted, if you can maintain a “walk in the park” attitude while you’re ripping your life apart and remaking it, more power to ya! You are definitely more mentally strong than I am.

For myself, (and I suspect for a lot of people) the process of growing and changing comes with more trials and obstacles than we bargained for. The cool thing I’ve found, though, is that it’s in dealing with these obstacles that you experience the most growth. And how you deal with them really does go a long way to determining how successful you will be in making the changes that you want to make.

Obstacle number one to be dealt with is usually your own mind. The imagination can be a powerful thing when it comes to change. Your mind can either be your worst enemy or your best friend. Allowing the negative side to dominate and fill your conscious mind with thoughts of doubt and failure will have you creating obstacles and reasons to fail.

Along with the negative voices in your own mind, the negative voices of other people around you are also an obstacle to your success on the personal growth trail. The lack of support from friends and family members who are supposed to be supporting you in your dreams and goals can be a real downer. And ditching them is often easier said than done.

Another thing that needs to be ditched is the attachment to past failures. Negative events and memories from your past can become insurmountable obstacles to your future success if you let them. Learning to let go will be a great adventure in growth, but it is so worth it to release all that baggage and really let yourself be free.

So just how do you overcome these obstacles? And yes, they can all be overcome. That’s half the journey!

There are so many ways to get past these, and what works for me may not work for you. You can read books, listen to tapes, to to seminars, and try all the do-it-yourself personal development methods out there. You can also hire a life coach, or go to a therapist if that way suits you better.

Whatever tools you decide to use to overcome your obstacles, the first two steps I would suggest you take are to learn to develop a positive mindset for yourself, and to surround yourself with supportive people who share your goals and aspirations. Visualizing your own success will go a long way to making it a reality, and having a support network around you will give you the kick in the butt you’ll need to stay motivated when the going gets a little rough.

What do you do to help get you past the obstacles in your personal growth?

(How original, right?)

Okay, so it’s not a very original way to plunge back into the stream of daily blogging… but it’s true. Spring is a time for growth, and you can feel it in the air. It fairly shimmers with energy, the sun is a little warmer, the days a little brighter, and there’s a sense of optimism and hope that you don’t notice so much during the winter. I was out walking along the river on Friday and people smiled a little more, and were a little quicker to say hello than they were during the winter months.

The optimism and hope that come with spring also bring with them a chance for new beginnings. Just like the plants and trees grow new leaves and flowers in the spring, we can use this time to create new growth and change for ourselves.

Spring cleaning is a perfect example of that. In a physical sense it’s all about clearing out the old to make room for the new. And if you’re anything like me, most years spring cleaning is nothing more than a chore to be gotten through as quickly as possible.

But spring cleaning this year is taking on a whole new meaning for me as I find ways to use it to help me clear my mind and focus on the next steps in my own personal growth.

Here’s what I mean…

If you really focus on the task, on what you’ve collected, and what you’re getting rid of, and WHY, you’ll be amazed at how much mental clutter you clear along with the physical junk. I did this on the weekend, and the energy shift in my apartment was so noticeable that I was actually sick for two days.

Out of about eight boxes of stored up papers, books, and other stuff I tossed everything but a dozen antique cookbooks (I’ve got plans for these), a few old books that belonged to my dad, and some photos and writings from my university days. With each piece of the past that went into the recycling bin, my vision of what I want my future to look like became just a little more clear.

Over the course of my weekend cleaning spree, I opened up enough mental room to set some clear goals for the next three months, as well as to map out a writing plan that will enable me to achieve them. You’ll be the beneficiary of that plan, and I”ll tell you more about it tomorrow.