“Get Out Of Your Own Way….Hey, Hey, Hey”

U2 to the rescue once again. I have recently been loving this band and I am realizing how much I appreciate their music and even more so, the power and transcendence behind their lyrics. “Get Out Of Your Own Way” came on in the car the other day. My mom and I jammed to the music as this song serves as one of those great ones to blast on the highway. And as I was enjoying the carefree moment, I was intently listening to the words when the following line struck me:

“Nothing’s stopping you except what’s inside

I can help you but it’s your fight, your fight….

Get of our your own way, hey, hey, hey”

This made me really think and so I listened to the song again later that day. Have you ever had one of those moments when you listen to something so perfectly worded that it stops you right then and there? When an idea you hold true is spoken in a way you have never heard it before? That is how this song made me feel. And I know it to be true.

Oftentimes the biggest obstacle that is standing in our way is our own self. This can come in many forms: overthinking, self-doubt, imposter syndrome, self-pity, and the list goes on and on…. Our own minds hold the power that either unleashes self-actualization, courage, and belief, or procrastination, doubt, and fear. Sometimes we become so consumed in our own head, in our own way, that we completely lose sight of what is right in front of us and what we could achieve if we just stepped out of it for a moment.

When we learn to be conscious of this and make the decision to regularly get out of our own way, life becomes easier, more productive, and exciting. If your heart is saying yes to a decision and your mind is attempting to derail you with what-ifs and doubts, step back. Get out of your own way. Make the decision that is coming from the best version of you. If you seem stuck in a pattern that you want to change- maybe it is that you are always finding a reason not to exercise, eat healthy, get up on time, find that job, etc., it is most likely coming from this simple truth: you are in your own way. 

Motivational Speaker and Entrepreneur Mel Robbins talks about the “knowledge action gap”. It is when we know what to do but we just can’t seem to get ourselves to do it. To do the little things that would change and improve our lives. Why is this? Well, according to Mel’s science-backed philosophy, our brains have 5 seconds to make a decision before we talk ourselves out of it. If you are laying in bed in the morning, knowing that you made a commitment to yourself to get up and exercise before work and your mind talks you out of doing so, you have fallen into the “knowledge action gap”. We all have from time to time. But it is our responsibility, and we owe it to ourselves to honor the commitments we make to ourselves. To do the things that ultimately become rather significant in our life, work, health, family, and dreams. We must get out of our own way.