Identifying what is holding you back from achieving your goals is honestly the first step to overcoming it and getting the heck back on track. In many cases at the very core is your lack of self-belief in yourself or your lack of feeling worthy of achieving success. These reasons, although they may feel genuine at the time are not rational :). Because you are very much capable, worthy, and good enough to achieve everything you want.
What is a goal?
A goal in the simplest terms is simply a thought which represents your desire to achieve a particular outcome. It is set in order to help to guide the necessary action and decisions to the specific result that you want. Goals can help you focus in on what is most important to you, prioritise accordingly, and help you stay motivated as you visualise your success.
What difficulties might you face in achieving your goals?
Ok so the housekeeping is out of the way, now let’s cut to the chase and identify the things that might be holding you back. The most important thing here is that you are honest with yourself – if when reading these, they resonate with you then that is the area you will have to spend a little time working on so that you can get back on the path of success. You will also find a specific and tailored tip to help you overcome it.
Fear of success
Fear of success sounds counterintuitive, right? Well, this is one of the reasons why it is so dangerous is because it is unconscious.
There are a number of reasons why it might surface when you are making your way toward your goals. When you’re not used to success or financial abundance or it’s not something that you are familiar with because of your or your parent’s past, it might feel uncomfortable. You may even feel a bit guilty and undeserving of it.
Other times you may feel that if you succeed, that means you’ve peaked – and there is no growth opportunities past this peak, or the further you climb the further you have to fall.
All these emotions are negative and in order to protect yourself from them you may be self-sabotaging.
So how to overcome it?
Top tip to overcome it: face it and bring it to the surface- ask yourself why you don’t feel deserving of it. Separate facts from thoughts, and challenge those negative thoughts by reframing them and telling yourself that, yes success can be scary because it is a big change, but it also leads to lots of opportunities. Try to focus on the process rather than the outcome. This way you will gradually build up confidence and worthiness.
Fear of failure
Risk is the bridge between you and your success.
Fear of failure is the other side of the same coin. It is an excessive worry of not achieving the goal or outcome you want. The most ironic thing is that this fear of failure is one of the things that can significantly impact your ability to succeed. You have to remember that in order to succeed you have to be willing to step into the uncertainty, and sometimes that means not knowing if you will succeed.
Top tip to overcome it: this again comes down to mindset, rather than fearing failure, try to see it as an opportunity to improve and grow. Another way that you can limit the fear of failure, is to ensure that you set a realistic goal for yourself.
Fear of change in relationship dynamics
Success is a lonely road – there is a reason why people say this.
When you begin to succeed, there will be people in your life that will not be comfortable with your growth and your success. So yes, you may lose people, which can be devastating, but know that these are not the people you want in your life. They won’t support you, especially if you are doing better than they are.
In reality, your truest and more meaningful relationships will survive and will not change, because they will be strong enough to survive shifts in dynamics. They will continue to fill you with positive feelings, support, and encouragement.
Top tip to overcome it: Separate facts from thoughts, understand that worthwhile people will support you and success is a good way to filter out those who are worthwhile to have around and make room for more relationships.
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Spending too much focus on Plan B
Keep your eyes on the prize.
You may feel you want to have that safety net but investing too much time in plan B, could well hold you back. Why?
- Because it will take valuable time away from you that you could be using to focus on your Plan A.
- Because if you are allowing your mind to wonder about a Plan B, you subconsciously tell yourself that Plan A is not a reality for you. It might seem innocent. But it can make you want to give up when things get complicated.
Remember that having plan B can be helpful for contingency, but it is important not to get stuck on it. Keep your eyes on the prize and trust your abilities to achieve your goals.
Top tip to overcome it: re-focus your time on your plan A. To help you, make sure your goals are as clear as possible and break them down into small steps. As small as you need to make them seem less overwhelming and more manageable.
Excuses
Excuses – we all know them!
- I’m not ready
- I’m not good enough
- It’s not the right time
- I’m too young or too old
They seem so plausible; they might have everyone around you fooled. But deep down you know you are deceiving yourself because behind those excuses lies fear.
Those most successful consciously overcome their excuses.
Excuses are there to protect you – to protect your self-esteem and self-confidence but in reality, it dampens them because you never end up moving forward. Excuses hold you back
Top tip to overcome it: is what I am doing possible? Am I good enough to achieve it? Is this the right thing to do? These questions are unhelpful and suck all the energy and motivation out of you. Change these questions to how, who, and what, such as, “How will I make this happen?” “What’s the first step?” “Who can help me with this?” and spend your energy finding answers that will help you move closer to success.
Procrastination
“My advice is to never do tomorrow what you can do today. Procrastination is the thief of time.”
– Charles Dickens
Procrastination can be a major obstacle to you achieving your goals. At the very core – as with many other things holding you back, it comes down to fear, overwhelms, and lack of faith in oneself.
Procrastination also creates a vicious cycle, because it creates a sense of guilt, and frustration making it even more difficult to achieve your goals.
Top tip to overcome it: Just start…Yep, as simple as that. At times the fear of starting a task can be scarier than the task itself. Another thing you can do is ensure that you start with a task you enjoy more or find less overwhelming – that way you can build momentum.
Lack of self-belief
Believing in yourself is an important factor in your success and your perception of your abilities. It is fair to say that having confidence in yourself, trusting yourself to get things done, and trusting your abilities will take you far.
Top tip to overcome it: This is due to a lack of inner work, so the antidote is to focus on personal growth and development. Become aware of the unconscious behaviors that have been programmed into you. Self-help techniques can be very useful, this includes things like journaling, meditation, and gratitude practice.
Lack of purpose
There are several factors that lie behind a lack of purpose. So how do you identify it?
Do you struggle to get yourself motivated, your work or tasks never light you up, you feel directionless, you feel empty or unfulfilled, and you feel bored whenever you must sit down to work on your goals?
These are the symptoms of a lack of purpose. So, what can you do about it?
Top tip to overcome it: reflect back on your values and passions. Try to remember what truly matters to you and maybe why you started in the first place. Ensure that these values and passions align with your truest self. Finding your sense of purpose again is a journey so be patient with yourself as you work through it. It’ll be worth it always,
Not seeing the bigger picture
Seeing the bigger picture means being able to step back and gain a broader perspective of the situation. Focusing in on the tiny details or the small bumps in the road can leave you feeling limited. However, when you can open your horizons, this tactic can help to put things into perspective.
In other words, the small setbacks, the difficulties, are not important in the bigger scheme of things. Doing this will help you make the best decisions, that are objective rather than emotionally driven.
Top tip to overcome it: the motto for the daydream big and start small
Not taking action
Avoid activities that only bring temporary happiness but otherwise can hold you off your course.
Remember that a to-do list or plan no matter how beautiful will compensate for the lack of action.
It is very easy to focus on the aesthetic and making a to-do list can give you the dopamine rush and a feeling like you are moving forward. But a to-do list is level 0. Faking the first step and ticking the first thing off the to-do list is level 1.
Top tip to overcome it: Remember that taking that first step is far more important than perfecting the list. If it helps take each action point or task and break it down into smaller pieces as small as you need to allow yourself to take that small step forward.
Giving up way too soon
Hitting a point when achieving the goal seems completely impossible is normal. When you feel overwhelmed it feels natural for motivation to diminish and this is when you are most likely to give up.
However, giving up is the ultimate obstacle that will keep you away from achieving your goal.
Achieving your dreams will take time, but if you expect instant results, you will feel discouraged if those results do not come to fruition as quickly as you would like.
Challenges and obstacles are part of the deal and should never be a reason to give everything up.
Top tip to overcome it: Success is often a result of consistent, small steps over a long time. You can help yourself by making a solid plan and setting small specific goals that you can continually work on. Make time for some self-reflection and remind yourself as often as you need why you started in the first place. Celebrate the small wins rather than the end result only.
Unrealistic standards
Setting unrealistic expectations can be discouraging and hold you back from pursuing your goals.
Remember that success does not happen overnight, it is a path and usually a long-haul one. So, focus on the progress more so than the outcome and ensure that you are being kind to yourself.
Top tip to overcome it: Remember progress over perfection always!
Not doing enough of the right thing
Your time is limited as an entrepreneur, so you really cannot allow yourself to be wasting time on tasks that do not bring your business value. Spending too much time on the wrong will keep you away from working on the right thing, and over time this can lead to burnout.
I really recommend making a list of what measurable outcomes you want in your business. Make a list. Then whenever you are making a decision in your business ensure that it grows at least one of those metrics, either directly or indirectly.
Also, ensure everything you do is cost-effective.
“Success is all about persistence and doing the right thing for the long term.” – Bruce Rauner
Top tip to overcome it: Priorities, priorities, priorities. Did I mention priorities? Ensuring you set your schedule to work on either the most important or urgent task first is the most efficient way to get you to your end goal as fast as possible. Also, eliminate any unnecessary tasks which are non-essential to your achieving your goal. Ensure you also take time to reflect and readjust your approach when necessary.
Not reflecting on mistakes
Reflecting on your mistakes is the only way you can take valuable lessons from what has happened.
Without doing this small practice, you are missing out on an enormous opportunity for learning and growth. Something that could become ever more valuable in the future. It is how you avoid making the same mistake twice.
Furthermore, it can help you deal with disappointment because it allows you to take control and turn emotions from bitterness into empowerment.
Top tip to overcome it: The most effective way to reflect on your mistakes is to be as honest with yourself as possible. That is painful and very uncomfortable, but this is how you will grow through it. It allows you to take responsibility and identify what went wrong and how you can avoid this the next time.
Not having a clear enough vision
A lack of clear vision leads to a lack of direction and a lack of direction keeps you stuck and prevents you from moving closer to your goals. If your vision is not clear enough, you will find it almost impossible to make a decision – the right decision. It will also dampen any motivation.
Top tip to overcome it: Visualise your future, but not for a brief moment. Allow yourself to really create a lifestyle around your goals. Use this vision to inspire and motivate you.