“Do not wait; the time will never be ‘just right’, start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along.” – George Herbert
Many of us idealize the path of achievement. We romanticize our dreams and think achieving them will be easy and full of quick wins, even roads, rainbows, butterflies and lots of good luck.
But rarely is this the case.
Instead, achieving our dreams takes hard work, dedication, perseverance and an abundance of self-belief and self-motivation. During this journey, we are questioned, doubted, ridiculed and alienated.
We fall many times, sometimes it’s hard to get back up and continue going. But, as long as we believe in our dreams with every ounce of our being, then achieving them isn’t just possible — it’s inevitable.
However, many of us are guilty of holding ourselves back (usually unintentionally) from bringing our dreams into fruition. If you’re struggling to make your dreams a reality, then you may be getting in your own way!
Here are 11 reasons you’re not achieving your dreams, and how you can take action to change that:
1.) You Have The Wrong Expectations
If you expect to achieve your dreams without any obstacles, challenges or seeming failures then you’re in for a rude awakening.
The path to great achievement is never evenly paved, nor is it seamless to navigate. Instead, it’s full of roadblocks, obstacles, temporary disappointments, and many lessons.
As you work toward your goals, just remember — every disappointment carries with it a lesson, and every obstacle brings you additional strength. You’ll need both of these gifts in order to continue upon your journey.
And with hard work, perseverance and belief nothing will be out of reach for you.
2.) You Compare Your Results to Others
Everyone is on their own timeline, and no two timelines are identical. That’s why it’s pointless to compare your results with anyone else’s.
You don’t know what other people are doing to achieve their success, and you don’t know what their purpose for being is — that’s between them and the universe. So rather than worrying about what other people are doing/achieving, focus on yourself.
Every day when you wake up, vow to be better today than you were yesterday. Push yourself to work harder and be and do more.
There is only one person you should ever be competing with and that’s yourself, anything else is a waste of your time and energy.
3.) You Lack Self-belief
Self-belief is the root of all success and achievement — without it, the seed of your dreams cannot plant into fertile ground.
If you have a dream, but you don’t believe in it, no one will. Without belief, you’ll never take consistent action, or commit to achieving your goals.
That’s why you have to believe in your dreams with every fiber of your being — anything less is setting yourself up for failure.
4.) You Haven’t Set Realistic Goals
Goal setting is a crucial part of achievement, and if you aren’t doing this every day then you’re selling yourself and your dreams short.
Your goals should be realistic, timely and attainable for you.
For example, if you have a goal to make $1,000,000 this week, but no course of action to do this, then you’ll end up feeling de-motivated and losing momentum.
On the other hand, if you set small daily, weekly and monthly goals that align with your bigger vision and are achievable to you (meaning you believe in them and have a strategy to accomplish them) then you’ll increase your momentum and be consistently taking the steps necessary to make your dreams a reality.
5.) You Wait for Inspiration to Come
The irony of inspiration is if you wait for it to come, you may wait forever, but if you take action and pour your energy into your dreams, inspiration will follow.
Don’t waste your time waiting for inspiration, take action and create inspiration!
Most people aren’t motivated when they first begin a project or start working toward their goals, but once they begin they create the momentum which allows them to keep going!
6.) You Don’t Know What You Want
If you practice shooting an arrow into a bullseye, eventually you’ll hit the target and master your shot. But, if you practice shooting an arrow into an undefined direction, you’ll never be in control of where your arrow ends up.
When it comes to your dreams, you need to get clear on what you want. Otherwise, you’ll end up shooting arrows that go nowhere in particular.
It’s okay to try different things and see what you’re interested in and want out of life (in fact — everyone should do this!) but, eventually, you need to define what you want out of your life.
Focus on your dreams. Make a vision board. Envision the life you want, and feel yourself having it.
Clarity is what makes your plan of action possible.
7.) You Try to Control The “How”
Rarely do things in life follow a perfect plan — instead, they often end up detouring and redirecting.
When you’re creating the plan for your life and dreams, make sure you’re flexible. Know that things will shift and change, and that’s okay — it’s all part of the process!
You can control the actions you take, the goals you set, and the dreams you lay forth, but you can’t control the “how” behind it all. The “how” is controlled by the universe, and not by us.
8.) You Give Up Too Easily
When you set out to achieve your dreams, you’re signing up for a journey — not a short hike.
There will be obstacles, hardships and times you question everything, including your dreams.
But these obstacles are what shape you, strengthen you and teach you. Without them, you wouldn’t have the same appreciation for the journey and process of achieving your dreams.
When the going gets tough, don’t give up. Most people quit too soon, just when they’re on the brink of success and then they wonder why they didn’t get the results they wanted to see. Don’t be one of those people.
Commit to your dreams. Move with them. Believe in them. And know that the manifestation process isn’t instantaneous, but if you dedicate yourself to it, you will eventually get to where you want to be.
9.) You’re Too Set in Your Ways
The only thing constant in this physical life is change. And if you’re too set in your ways, you’ll resist making changes and taking opportunities that will help you as you work toward your dreams.
You have to learn how to let go of how you want things to be so the universe can set things to how they are meant to be.
10.) You’re Surrounded By Negative Influences
As you look around your life, ask yourself: “do the people in my life (family/friends/relationships) energize me or drain me?“
Being that everyone and everything in this world is energy, your energy aligns with the people you surround yourself with. So if the people in your life drain you, then it’s time to raise your standards and make some tough decisions.
Remember, if you’re surrounded by unmotivated, lazy, negative people, you will eventually fall into the same trap.
Do yourself and your dreams a favor, and surround yourself with people who believe in you and are ambitious and motivated in their own lives. These are the people who will help you rise, and pick you up when you fall.
11.) You Frequently Waste Your Time
Time. Everyone thinks they have so much of it until one day, it’s gone.
Don’t be one of those people. Don’t spend your life “waiting”. Don’t waste your time doing meaningless things that don’t bring you growth, happiness or achievement.
Put your phone down. Stop scrolling through social media. Stop binge-watching Netflix.
Start valuing your time — it’s depleting and non-renewable. Never do anything that won’t positively contribute to your life.
There has never been a better time than right NOW to start working towards your dreams. What are your waiting for?
Now that you know what’s holding you back from greatness, I have a question for you: are YOU ready to stop making excuses and start turning your dreams into reality? If you are, click here.
Xx,
Antasha
About Antasha Durbin: Antasha is a spiritual writer, life-long student of the universe, and psychic tarot card reader. Her website, cajspirituality.com, is dedicated to casualizing the spiritual experience and making it attainable for anyone, anywhere, anytime. Follow her for free, easy-to-digest and highly actionable advice on spirituality, mindfulness and empowered living.
Isn't it time you started living the life you've always imagined?
Hi Antasha!
Your work is awesome.
Its heart touching inspiring and encouraging.
Keep up!
Thank you for the beautiful note! I’m so happy it resonates with you! Sending you lots of love! Xx