Common Obstacles to Action (Need for security, control, paralysis in the face of error)

The Internal Enemies of Action

Although devising a plan of action is a crucial step, the implementation of our life project or any meaningful goal often encounters internal enemies that can hinder or even completely paralyze our progress.

These obstacles are often not external, but psychological resistances deeply rooted in human nature.

Recognizing and understanding these internal brakes is the first step in being able to manage them and prevent them from derailing our efforts to achieve our desired goals.

Three of the most common and powerful are the need for security, the need for control and paralysis in the face of error.

The Need for Security: Fear of Change

One of the most common obstacles is the need for security. It is natural for people to fear change.

The familiar, even if it is not ideal, provides us with a sense of stability and predictability.

For this reason, we often fall into the trap of needing to feel that we are one hundred percent ready before taking a single step into something new or unknown.

We postpone the start by waiting for the perfect moment, the complete training, the absolute guarantee that everything will go smoothly.

However, we must overcome this paralysis, as we will never be fully ready for anything that involves real growth or change.

The key is to start with what we have in the present moment, accepting the initial discomfort and learning as we go. To expect total security is, in practice, to give up on moving forward.

The Need for Control: Risk Aversion

Another powerful enemy is the need for control. Human beings generally do not like to take risks.

We prefer to be certain that we can handle all variables and foresee all possible outcomes.

This risk aversion leads many people to stall their progress while they hope to find a risk-free plan, a foolproof strategy that guarantees success without the possibility of setbacks. But there is no such thing.

We will never have absolute control over the situation or the future. There will always be unforeseen factors and uncertainties.

Understanding and accepting this lack of total control is fundamental in order to move forward.

Wanting to control everything is an illusion that prevents us from acting in an inherently uncertain world.

Error Paralysis: Fear of Failure

Finally, paralysis in the face of error is a significant obstacle. It can happen that the person makes a mistake during the process and suddenly believes that it is the end of the world, or at least the end of the project.

The failure is perceived not as a setback, but as definitive proof of inability or irreparable damage.

It is crucial to internalize that mistakes always happen; they are an inevitable part of any learning and growth process.

It must be made very clear as soon as possible that making mistakes is not only normal, but necessary, so as not to create false expectations of a perfect path.

In fact, it is precisely mistakes that drive the most significant changes and promote deep learning by forcing us to re-eva luate, adjust and find new solutions.

Seeing error as a teacher, not an executioner, is essential to sustaining action.

Summary

The implementation of the action plan often encounters internal enemies that can paralyze progress. These obstacles are psychological resistances, such as the need for security.

The need for security leads us to postpone the start expecting to be one hundred percent ready, which is impossible for growth. The need for control (risk aversion) paralyzes us into expecting a risk-free plan or absolute certainty, which does not exist.

Paralysis in the face of error is a significant obstacle, where failure is perceived as irreparable damage. It is crucial to internalize that mistakes are an inevitable and necessary part of any learning and growth process.