Shaping a New Generation of Leaders
	Overcoming Obstacles to Make Dreams Come True By ZaLonya Allen, PhD     When we are born we have no preconceived ideas about life. Experience teaches us most of what we know. As children many of us dream of doing impossible things like flying the way birds fly or possessing super powers like superman until reality convinces us of how ridiculous it is to dream. Not only do we stop dreaming of the impossible, but many stop dreaming of what is possible. We begin setting boundaries for ourselves. One of the greatest obstacles man will ever encounter is himself.   Self-imposed limitations are the limits people place on themselves. It is ones own beliefs about what can be achieved. Many develop a limited view of themselves based on past experiences. After experiencing failure a few times an image starts to form in ones own mind regarding what is realistically possible. This often creates limits that can last a lifetime. It is important to be able to distinguish between failing at a task and failing as a person. Henry Ford failed and went broke five times before experiencing success. Just because you fail at a task does not mean you are a failure as a person. It means you tried something that didn’t work. As long as you continue to try you still have a chance. However once you allow failure to cause you to give up you have been defeated. Remember failure is temporary, defeat is permanent.    One of the main reasons people do not achieve their dreams is because they give up. Sometimes people give up not realizing if they had taken one more step, turned one more corner, knocked on one more door, or made one more phone call, their dreams would have become a reality. For example soon after the original hostess who turned the letters on Wheel of Fortune quit, the show became a huge success. Immediately following the departure of one of the original members of Boys to Men the group was discovered.   A great way to combat obstacles that cause you to want to give up is to develop a support network. A support network is a person or group of people who believe in you and genuinely care about you. Your support network will remind you of your gifts and will not hesitate to correct you when you are wrong. They are people you can go to when you are having a difficult time. One must be very careful when developing a support network because trust is essential. When you are having a difficult time you may become vulnerable and that is the worst time to be around untrustworthy people.   In life we must be prepared to overcome obstacles. We must treat failure as a learning experience and above all we must never give up. I leave you with this quote from one of the greatest athletes of our time, Michael Jordan “I have missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I have failed over and over again in my life, and that is why I succeed.” Copyright
ZaLonya Allen International Copyright 2008. All Rights Reserved. P.O. Box 2812 Southfield MI 48037  Phone: 248-352-0509 Email:  speaker@zalonya.com