Most people misunderstand barriers. They see application fees and groan, they encounter additional requirements and quit, they face unpaid projects and walk away. However, successful people understand that these barriers are gifts in disguise.
Think about the classic college application process. When a school adds an extra essay requirement or a specialized project, thousands of potential applicants drop out immediately. “Too much work,” they mutter, closing their browser. But that reaction cleared the path for dedicated applicants willing to put in the effort.
This filtering process happens everywhere. And once you understand it, you’ll never look at barriers the same way again.
Let me break down a perfect example—the path to becoming a Major League Baseball player:
- 2,000,000 kids play in little league
- 455,000 make it to high school baseball
- 25,000 play in college
- 1,500 get drafted by MLB teams
Even getting drafted doesn’t guarantee success. At any given moment, only 750 players wear a Major League uniform.
The players who make it to the Big Leagues aren’t just the most talented, they’re the ones who cleared every barrier in their path. They showed up for 6 AM practices. They maintained emotional stability under pressure. They stayed out of trouble. They built strong relationships with teammates and coaches. They handled the brutal adjustment to professional baseball.
Each of these barriers filtered out more players, even highly talented ones. However, for the players who pushed through, each barrier meant fewer competitors left standing.
Consider how many barriers stand between you and your next opportunity. Each of these obstacles serves one purpose—to eliminate your competition before the real evaluation even begins. Every requirement that makes you hesitate is quietly removing thousands of others from the race.