The Balancing Rock is a pretty cool geological wonder in Tiverton.

For many years locals knew about it and there were ways to get there but there was certainly no path or stairwell like there is today.

The Balancing Rock appeared on the cover of the Doers and Dreamers guide before the path was developed and it quickly became a place visitors and tourists wanted to visit.

The Balancing Rock as a physical entity and a destination existed but a cleared path did not.

This is a lot like our goals and dreams.

We have a vision in our mind of something we want to achieve. Mayne it’s a physical goal like run a 5k race. Or maybe it’s a financial goal, like early an extra $1000 each month, or maybe a personal goal, like learn to speak French this year.

The end point of that goal exists. You know your destination, running 5km, $1000 extra dollars in your bank account, a future version of you that speaks French fluently.

You can imagine it. You can feel the feelings of what it would be like to achieve that goal. You probably even know people who do those things regularly.

You don’t know the exact path or the exact steps you will need to take to get there. For some people, that’s enough of a deterrant to keep them from going for what they want. It’s like, there’s no path, or stairway down to the rock. So there’s no way for me to get to the Balancing Rock.

For others, they may be willing to start bushwhacking and finding a way through the woods to the shore. Obstacles pop up, like they have a bad sense of direction and can’t quickly find their way. The undergrowth is thick and hard to navigate. Or it’s so hard and so much work to find a way where no path exists. People give up. People throw in the towel. They get discouraged and quit.

Just like the creation of the Balancing Rock Trail started with an idea, so can you start pursuing your dreams and goals with just an idea. Just a vision.

You don’t need to know the exact steps or route you will take. You need to have:
✴A clear picture of your destination
✴A whole lot of determination
✴A willingness to find a path around (under, over, through) any obstacles that arise

✴A strong commitment to your way
✴Unshakeable faith in yourself and your vision.

You can come up with 10000 reasons why you can’t do something and you place yourself in victimhood. The truth is that forging a path is hard and new and different and you need to be willing to let go of your old, comfortable ways (which are still hard otherwise you wouldn’t wish for something else) and take yourself into the unknown, into something new and different.

It’s not a path for the faint of heart, especially if it’s a big, lifechanging, brand new you kind of goal. If that’s the case, you need to be 100% committed.

No wishy-washy.

No maybe.

No kinda want to do it.

Committed 100%.

That’s what it was like for me when I signed up for my YTT. I hit a point where it was neither hell nor high water that could stop me. Here I am 2 years later and baby, I’ve barely gotten started.

It all started with a clear picture of what I wanted, a determination to see it through and (what felt like) an audacious belief that if one other person could achieve it, than I could too. Don’t let your fears hold you back from what you love, what you dream about, what you desire. Over the weekend, I’m going to share some journaling practices and mindset resets I use to get passed my fears.