What's Holding You Back?

I’ve been taking a lot of workshops and seminars recently and saw and spoke to superbly talented and smart people who could make their lives so perfect, so easily. Yet, they held themselves back and made their lives so complicated that they may well not change very much about their situation at all.

Following on from that I want to share with you some of my observations about what stops people from forging ahead and creating their ideal life.

1. A Limited Perspective

Your vision of yourself, your life and what’s possible is either narrow and rigid or broad and flexible. Imagining what you’d love to do and immediately dismissing it as ‘fantasy’ is an indication of the former.

2. A Lack of Imagination

Appreciating your talents, acknowledging your expertise is one thing. Using your imagination to put these to their fullest use requires you to think inventively. Making yourself useful and your service invaluable requires you to think, think, think.

3. A Lack of Courage

All acts of initiative require courage. Stepping back from the challenge of moving out of your comfort zone may be cowardly, but comfortable. Generating courage to act in spite of your fear, apprehension, anxiety, self-doubt is the only alternative.

4. A Lack of Action

Bright ideas, enthusiasm and adrenaline are one thing. Following through and taking action something else altogether. Unfortunately, I can almost spot the people in a workshop who are unlikely to do what they need to do and take action.

5. A Need for Approval

Worrying about what others may think of you is powerful enough to keep you chained to a dead-end job, loveless relationship or living in the wrong place for you. Do not underestimate the pull of your tribe to conform to a particular way of living. A fear of failure or success is all to do with winning or losing other’s approval. Think about it.