What is stopping you from achieving what you really want? In short: You are.  Yes, you read that correctly.  Most of the time we are the only person standing in our own way and stopping us from accomplishing what we truly desire.  Trust me, I know because I used to be a repeat offender. There are several obstacles that can interfere with reaching your goals.

1)Procrastination –  is definitely a likely culprit.  When I sat down to write this very blog post, there were parts of my head telling me I could do it tomorrow and that I am not in the “mood” to write.  This is how I knew I needed to aggressively press forward and make moves put the pen to paper.  If I went along with the excuses of “Oh, tomorrow I will do it” or “Next month I will make more of an effort,” you wouldn’t be reading anything from me.  Because that tomorrow or month passes by, quickly might I add, and then I find myself in the same exact place.  The point is this: Take action everyday that will bring you closer to what you truly want, even if it means you only do one minor thing at a time.

2) Another common obstacle is fear: fear of the unknown, or even worse, fear of failure.  Whatever fear you might have, it is only an illusion.  You have nothing to be fearful about. Fear is of the enemy.  It will do anything to get in your way and block you from living at your highest potential. Don’t let your evil ego stand in your way, because just on the other side of the fearful illusion it has created, your aspiration awaits you with open, loving arms.  Rather than letting our devious ego trick us into staying where we are, we need to start moving, running actually, towards what we want.

To demonstrate this, here’s what I’d like you to do.  Make a list of the top 10 things you want to do or accomplish. I’m not talking about getting a new car or winning the lottery.  What makes your mind race? What is tugging at your heartstrings when you think of it?  Give it some really good thought.

Do you want to travel the world? Move across the country? Call it quits with someone you know isn’t right for you? Get an MBA? Quit smoking? Learn how to fly an airplane? No matter how far off you think it might be from actually doing, write it down.  Then, next to each ‘want’ on your list, give your best reason for not doing it.  Let’s hear it.

After you have given your reasons, notice the pattern.  Is your reason for not doing it based from some sort of fear?

(I fear) I don’t have enough money.

(I fear) I don’t have enough time.

(I fear) I don’t have enough experience.

(I fear) I can’t do it.

(I fear) I might fail.

Anything you think you don’t already have within you is a fear.  You are perfectly equipped to overcome anything.  There isn’t a thing God would throw at you that He didn’t already prepare you to be able to handle.

3) Lack of time is another lame excuse.  There is always enough time.  Make time for what you want.  Wake up earlier.  Stay up later.  Spend less time on the phone or computer.  Delegate tasks you normally perform to someone else to free up your time.  As cliché as it sounds, it is true: when there is a will, there is a way.

4)The lack of experience delusion.  Experience is only a matter of learning.  Anything you want to gain experience with is only a Google search away.  We live in a day and age where nothing is off limits to us.  Research. Read. Learn what you need for advancement of yourself and your dreams. We have no excuse for lack of knowledge or information other than the effort we make to obtain it.

As I was starting this website, I questioned if my experience level was where it needed to be.  On the days where this fear would catch me off guard, I would still write. I found that even if I only wrote one sentence a day, I was one sentence closer to reaching my goal.  Then next thing I knew, the sentences turned into paragraphs, then pages and before I even realized it, the blog was born.

When you are living your purpose and following your dreams, you will be provided for. I can tell you this from experience.  Once I focused and was open to the idea that nothing could actually stop me, not only was I backing myself, but I was also being backed by my higher power, God.

You are here on this earth to fulfill a purpose, which He has planned for you since before you were conceived.   Your job is to find that purpose and ruthlessly pursue it.  Don’t let anything stop you. Not an addiction.  Not a fear.  Not lack of time or experience. And certainly not lack of confidence.  When you pursue your passion with the right mentality and God behind you, there is nothing you cannot do.  Joel Osteen once said: “You can’t out-dream God.  Whatever dream you have in your heart, it’s just a fraction of what God can do through you.”

Be willing to face these mental obstacles. There are creative solutions to anything you feel is holding you back. What can you do today to put you one step closer to what you want?  Head over to the blog and leave me a comment.  I’d love to hear from you.

Let’s face it: If you don’t go after what you want, you’ll never have it.

“Wake Up.  Go After it.  Repeat.” – Bethany Barton

Photo Credit: The Honesty Revolution