Are you a person full of dreams with a positive view of life? Dreaming could get very wild and interesting sometimes. However, real goals and achievements could be born from such dreams.
Dreaming is something all of us humans share and is a place we can run to, to think big and just think outside the box. In other words, a lot of the dreams and the ideas we have while sleeping would not be available or thought of outside sleep. This just provides us with a window to be creative and perhaps end up thinking of an applicable idea.
Moreover, dreams could also mean goals in a different context. Goals are something we set to add purpose to our life because without purpose and drive, we are just wasting our time. We are all entitled to set goals and achieve them, but sometimes things do not take the right turns. Sometimes we may face road blocks and dead ends that we need to face and figure out a way to detour and resolve.
Let us face it, we can dream big and outside the box, which is empowering and inspiring, but we will not achieve everything and anything we set our minds to, that is just the way it works sometimes. However, does that mean we stop dreaming or moving in the direction of achieving our goals? No, not at all, life could try to bring us down as many times as it likes, but we need to be strong to jump right up every time.
Let’s take a look at 5 things that may be holding you back from achieving your dreams:
1. Using Someone Else’s
Definition Of Success
So, are you using someone else’s definition of success or have you established the perfect recipe for your success? See ,success is different depending on the individual and what is important for them, thus using someone else’s recipe would not work for the simple fact that their goals and dreams might be different than yours.
You have to set your own beliefs, goals, and values and implement those. Why would you waste your time using other people’s ideas for success? Being clear on what you want or what success is to you is the first and foremost task you need to do to get anywhere from there and move on.
So, forget about what anyone else thinks or believes you should do, and do what you believe in because this will take you further. This does not mean that as soon as you hear your parents tell you or suggest a certain major in university, you rebel and just ignore their talk.
Besides being your parents, having more experience, and knowing you inside out, they want the best for you. Thus, listen to their suggestions and advice, and have a productive argument presenting your thoughts and ideas. Maybe this can eventually help you achieve your goals? Think about it.
2. Asking For Help Is Not
In Your Dictionary
Are you the type of person that asks for help when you need it or do you think it is not appropriate or is degrading to ask for help? Some people sometimes think that the road to success is like walking through a forest that has not been visited by anyone and that if luck is on your side you will reach the other end, known as success.
Others believe they should be independent and proceed on their way to their goals alone without help. It is a really good habit to be independent and not need anyone to achieve your goals, but do not understand independence incorrectly. If you ask for help just to pass a dead end and then continue the journey on your own then this is still being independent.
For instance, some people refuse to get psychological help or other kinds of help they need to be able to achieve and accomplish certain values and goals. This is something that needs to be done so that you are in the right form and mentality to achieve your dreams.
Moreover, in “Think And Grow Rich,” a book by Napoleon Hill, he states that, “It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed.” Take some time and think about this statement. Napoleon continues to write that in 1937, millions of people followed and worked by his advice to amount to unimagined levels of success.
Well, this might not seem logical at first as you might think there is limited wealth to share with everyone, but the way to think of this is that helping others grow and succeed exposes you to different issues and scenarios where things do not work and thus you have a base of experience and things to avoid to make it.
As you help others to succeed, you may as well need your help on your way to success, and you will most likely get it if you were not selfish.
3. Bad Scheduling
Did you know that scheduling and prioritization are such powerful tools that could sometimes make your goals or break them? Scheduling your days and life helps you put things in perspective and order and thus help you finish tasks faster and more effectively.
You do not want to wake up every morning having many things on mind and not remembering what you need to do first. This could be hard especially for someone that is really busy and so all it takes is just pre-planning the night before or waking up earlier to set everything straight.
This thought of having to organize everything and doing the planning every day may sound like a detailed study of some sort but when you realize that you are not achieving all what you want and there is still some untapped potential, you might end up implementing the strategy of proper scheduling.
Notice that there is a big difference between being busy and productive. As author J.R.R. Tolkien says, “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”
Guess what will happen if you do not take control of your life and time, deciding what you need to get done and use your time for. If this does not happen, then someone else could end up doing the job for you.
Another simpler strategy than detailed scheduling would be to take off an hour or so a week and mark the important tasks/activities on your calendar to stay clear of what you need to do to gain daily success. If it is there on your calendar with the time, it will get done. It is as simple as this.
4. You Are Not Growing
Yourself Anymore
Are you continuously working on yourself in terms of growth and development? Do you know that you keep on learning as long as you are alive and that you do not stop at a certain age? Some people might think that after high school or university studies you are off the hook of education and now you will go on to work until you retire.
This could be true but even then, while working you still gain experience and more skills, also known as growth and a kind of education. As long as you are on the track to your success, you are growing. However, what happens if you are not living life the way you planned it or would like to see yourself live it?
This is when you might not achieve your dreams. Moreover, another misconception is that once you are at the summit, your mission is complete in life. Once you are at the top of the success tree, you could still slip or even get bruised. It might be the first time you reach the top and so you might not know what to do with this success and thus lose it or part of it.
After achieving a goal, ask yourself what the next step is and where you can go from this point on. There’s always room for more growth and development.
The best thing is that the idea and concept of growing yourself is not limited to a certain activity or high-class task. This can be applied to fitness, starting a business, or learning a new skill. As long as you are learning and using this knowledge, you got to be growing. Curiosity is a great way to not have to worry about growth because you will keep asking and wanting to know more.
5. Looking For
Shortcuts
If you had the choice of getting to a destination using a long route or a short one (shortcut), which one would you choose? You would most probably choose the shortcut; I mean who would not do that, especially if they are late and need to get somewhere quickly? This is usually a good strategy as long as the shortcut is not some kind of off-road that is bumpy and uneven.
However, would you implement this same strategy to achieve your dreams and reach success? This might seem like a good idea but unfortunately there are no shortcuts.
If you want something badly and want to consider yourself successful at it, you need to go full in and be ready to take the longest route to get there. That is why it is advisable to do something you love, because you will not mind the long route and eventually get there.
In addition, one of the most successful, richest people in the world says, “If you spend your time looking for shortcuts, you will find one – right out of business.” Get rich quick schemes are just not how things work. It is like you are saying that you could get straight A’s with little or no studying. Life and opportunities do not come easy like that.
Besides, if you try to take shortcuts and succeed, you will not feel the overwhelming feeling of joy that comes with hard work and perseverance and there might also be side effects to the shortcuts, just like a bumpy road has an effect on the car.
For instance, if one of your dreams is to lose weight, you would not be happy to take weight loss pills that may have an impact on your organs rather than diet and exercise, would you? Thus, prevent shortcuts and go with the traditional way, even though it could take longer, but the effects will be better.
BONUS:
You Are Not Ready For The Commitment
One very important question we usually do not ask ourselves before diving into a task or activity is whether we are committed or not? Are you the type of person that once engaged in an activity, are willing to stay with it until the end; until you complete it and achieve success in it?
If not, then here is one thing you could add to your life that will bring value. The reason some people do not commit is because they are afraid. This is because they do not know what will happen. What will people think of me if I fail, or how will I handle all this new pressure of success?
Did you know that people may choose unhappiness over uncertainty? It makes sense because people would rather remain in the same position or situation than test something new that might take them to a worse spot or position. People are too afraid to leave their comfort zone, but this is a key to success. It is like using the same recipe or eating the same food, would you not get bored? This is why we need to try new recipes once in a while and not be afraid to fail the first few times.
Remember too that status, position, reputation, and money are just by-products of success and achieving your dreams. These are things that are nice to have but the ultimate value is in the dreams you accomplish. Start loving what you do and do not pay more attention to the difficulty of the task; focus your attention on the completion and fulfillment of the dream.
