Six Ways to Leap Over Your Barriers to SuccessSuccess can be defined in many ways, from achieving that promotion you’ve been eyeing for years to finally saving enough money to treat yourself to that new iPhone. Life is full of big successes and small ones, but the process of getting there can be rocky. The only universal guarantee is that you get what you want in life IF you are willing to do the work. However, your goal may be evading you, driving you to feel like a failure.You are not alone. From sacked to successOvercoming barriers is part of every success story, small or big. I recently had the pleasure of hearing the story of one of the top 10 watercolor artists in the world. He was a very candid fellow and in his more than 25 books on success in watercolor, he mentions, repeatedly, the words he hates to hear the most from his beloved art students: “You have such brilliant, natural talent” or “I wish I was born like you.”“Nonsense,” he tells them. “It was hard work and a belief I could do it. I had to do it, and it changed my life.” This artist now dines on gold plates in palaces where he is begged by Sheiks and Shahs to come teach his watercolor methods.The truth is, this man was sacked from his job as an engineer at age 50, and with a mortgage, a wife, and two sons to support, he had to find the motivation and self-discipline to reinvent himself. To achieve success, there was no time for procrastination. He had no formal art training fueling his mind, and no time or money to attend an art university. This man would arise every morning at 6:00 a.m. to get to the London docks at water’s edge with paint and canvas in hand. He couldn’t paint for mud at first, so he started small. He carried a charcoal kit and taught himself to do value sketches of landscapes, people, pets, skies, everything.Once he could put charcoal to paper competently, he painted the scenes right over the pencil. Soon, he was good enough that he attracted attention on the docks, with people stopping to marvel how he could distill an entire scene in watercolor in less than 10 minutes. It seemed like magic.Set yourself up for successForcing your way past obstacles to achieve success can be challenging, but it can be done with hard work and dedication, as well as the proper amount of motivation. Here are some ways you can set yourself up for success against obstacles.1. Strengthen your core. Before firing up your gears, you need to make sure that everything is in order. You can’t put your foot in the door for that promotion unless you have what it takes to impress them. So be prepared before you head out.2. Tap into your core motivation. Aside from your skills, you need to connect with the motivation within, and use it to push yourself toward success. Let your vision guide you, and keep your spirits up—even when the world is against you. Once you understand what motivates you, everything you say and do will be directed to achieving that goal. As a result, you’ll become more confident and definitely satisfied as you control your present and future.3. Depend on validation from yourself only. When driving toward success, the last thing you need is to depend on others to be validated. Even those who do support you won’t fully understand your goals and what drives you to achieve them. So, become your own motivator, and don’t depend on external recognition as you move on.4. Get organized. Everything within and around you needs to be properly organized to ensure that you don’t face hurdles unprepared. The last thing you need is to get your emotions or physical clutter in the way of your path to success.5. Get in the middle of the action. You need to be where the action is to be inspired. Once you immerse yourself in a task or project, you’ll be able to become more dedicated to it. You’ll also learn from the ideas of others and be inspired to come up with your own.6. Channel positive thoughts. Uncertainty and negativity are like two peas in a pod; it is natural to feel negative in an uncertain situation. After all, it is human nature to imagine only the worst-case scenarios. It is best for people to try to bring some positivity into uncertain situations. Not thinking about the worst that can happen, and rather, hoping for the best can elevate your spirits and make you feel less anxious about uncertainty.These tools will help, but it’s easy to get distracted or discouraged on the path to success. But, my friends, you must remember why you are on this mission to begin with, whether it’s for your family, yourself, or a legacy you want to leave behind.Now, don’t those huge, mountain-like obstacles look more like tiny ant hills? Tap into your brilliant core, and be the successful person I know you are. WPM__Simon Bailey, Simon T. Bailey International,Windermere, Fla.