What holds you back from doing the things you really want to do? Everyone longs to do something, even if its parents who just need to get out for a few hours to see a movie. What is it that you want to do? What is holding you back from doing it? I often hear, “I wish…” or “Wouldn’t it be nice if…” or “What I really want is…” and then there comes the ‘but’ or the grimace of frustration because it’s not happening and something seems to be blocking it from happening. What is it that’s keeping you from doing what you really want to do?
For some people it’s ‘enough time’. If I just had enough time I would do (insert dream here). But the deal is that most of us have control over very little, but we do have control over how we spend our time. You have a job that doesn’t give you enough time to do what you want to be doing, perhaps you should look into finding a different job. Sounds drastic, but if you could actually live out your dream, would it be worth it? For some people it’s about the money. If I just had enough money I could (insert dream here). There are two types of dreams that fit into this category: I want to be a millionaire and never work again or I just need to get one more rung up the ladder so I can get where I’m going. The millionaire dream seems to be possible from everything we are told by the media, but very few of us achieve it and even fewer actually try. They are called the 1% for a reason after all. So pipe dreams aside, let’s look at the other dream. Just getting that one step further along the road of life can seem impossible, but it’s actually not. It’s remarkable how giving and helpful your friend, family, acquaintances and the general public are when they know there is a need and a dream to be achieved. It may take effort, but what dream isn’t worth that.
The worst thing that holds people back is themselves. Most often the ‘but’ that I hear from people is a barrier or a block that they’ve made in their own mind. I want this, but I can never have it because that’s not where life is taking me. I can’t because my family needs me to be something else. I can’t because I’m not smart enough, good enough, pretty enough, you name it. I can’t have what I’m dreaming about and that makes me safe and secure because I know who I am right now and if I reached out for my dreams and did things differently, I would change and that’s scary. In the end, the only thing that holds these people back is fear. I’m not saying that if you just stop being scared of it you will succeed. Success is never a guarantee for any of us. And it’s very true that along the way our dreams may change, circumstances change, our abilities may change. Change is one of the very few constants in the universe. But it’s worth trying and if the only thing holding you back from your dream is you, then get out of your way. Don’t put off until tomorrow the joy you could be having today. Reach for your dream. We’ll cheer you on.