Natalya Edwards
We all have things in our life we want to accomplish. Dreams.
But it’s not always so easy to achieve your dreams. Especially when you have habits that hold you back from reaching them.
Not sure what’s unknowingly blocking you from reaching your goals?
Well, let’s look at 10 habits that could be holding you back from achieving your dreams.
1) Not setting clear, actionable goals
You may have dreams, but let me ask you this. Do you know how you’re going to reach them? And do you have a plan of action in place?
I ask you this because it’s hard to achieve your dreams if you don’t know how to go about doing it.
If you haven’t written your goals down, chances are they’re vague and unclear. Perhaps even overwhelming.
But when you write down your goals, it helps make them concrete.
It also helps you take actionable steps towards achieving your dreams and forms a starting point to work from.
2) Staying in your comfort zone
Another habit that may hold you back is staying in your comfort zone.
I get it. Sticking to our comfort zone is a safe option. It protects us from fear, uncertainty, and failure. But it’s not the best option if you want to achieve your dreams.
To stand a chance of reaching them means stepping out of the confines of your comfort zone.
Yes, you’ll have to face the unknown.
And yes, you’ll have to face fear head-on because anything worth doing will involve fear.
Chances are, you’ll also have to fail and get rejected (multiple times!). But that’s ok because it’s all part of the process on the path to achieving your dreams!
3) Having self-limiting beliefs
Self-limiting beliefs are another bad habit that stops you from reaching your full potential.
If you don’t believe in yourself and are convinced that you’re not good enough, this is the image you’ll project to the universe.
Your beliefs, in turn, could stop you from trying at all. And if you do try, you might put less than your full effort into it because you believe you will fail.
So, as you can see, plaguing yourself with damaging thoughts on a near-daily basis does you no good! It only serves to self-sabotage and hold you back.
Try to challenge any self-limiting beliefs that enter your head. So, for example, if you tell yourself, ‘I’m not good enough’. Switch that around to, ‘I’m doing the best I can.’
It also helps to note and remind yourself of your strengths regularly. Particularly when those self-limiting beliefs are hitting you pretty hard.
4) Putting others’ opinions before your own
If you lack confidence, another habit that might hold you back is putting others’ opinions before your own.
While others’ views can help you make choices when you’re stuck, you shouldn’t live your life by them.
Remember, this is your life. If you are passionate about something, and it makes you happy, that’s the most important thing.
Steve Harvey, a successful comedian turned TV host is a prime example of someone who didn’t let one opinion deter him from his dreams.
His dream was to be on TV, which he expressed during an assignment in sixth grade. His teacher’s reaction was to ridicule him for having such a dream!
Well, Steve got the last laugh. Many years later, his face has appeared on many TV shows like Family Feud and Little Big Shots.
5) Hanging around a negative crowd
Choosing who you hang out with can also make a difference when trying to achieve your dreams.
For example, let’s say your friends are naysayers who laugh at your dreams and belittle you. They also spend all day gossiping and spewing hate.
You may end up being influenced by these friends who derail you from the road of dreamhood.
Or you may, as I mentioned before, put their opinions above yours and believe you’re not capable of succeeding.
The same goes for if your group of friends are party heads who drink a ton and take drugs every other night.
What I’m saying is that it helps to surround yourself with positive people who’ll support and motivate you to achieve.
6) Not sticking to a routine
One thing you’ll need to inject is some consistency in your life. That’s if you want to stand a chance of achieving your dreams.
That means: 1) Having a routine, and 2) sticking to it.
This can be hard if you’re the type to cave in to temptations.
Let’s put an example out there. Your goal is to exercise for an hour every day. But a new series has just come out on Netflix.
If you lack discipline, you might ditch exercise in favour of watching this new series.
Or, perhaps another day, your friend calls you during your exercise session and asks to hang out.
Again, being opposed to routine means you might push back exercise and hang out with your pal instead.
But if you constantly fold to temptations, it can kill your momentum, and you’ll make snail-like progress towards your dreams in the process.
7) Procrastinating
You might also struggle to stick to a routine if you’re a procrastinator. This is when you put off an important task by doing something else.
Now, all of us procrastinate to some extent. And while a little bit of procrastinating does no harm, procrastinating too much can stop you from getting anything done!
If you’re a top-tier procrastinator, try writing down a to-do list of things to get done each day.
Once you’ve got your list down, prioritize the most important tasks and go from there.
It may be easier to skip those important tasks for something less taxing on the brain, but think of those long-term benefits! The benefits being your dream.
8) Neglecting your well-being
Working hard by being consistent helps when chasing your dream. But be careful about putting all your energy into that pursuit, as it can be easy to neglect other aspects of your life.
For example, not getting enough sleep can affect your productivity and performance.
So, make sure to:
- Get enough sleep
- Exercise at least 30 minutes a day
- Eat healthily
- Be kind and compassionate to yourself
- Treat yourself
Keeping yourself in tip-top shape will help you perform at your best.
9) Giving up at the first hurdle
When you dip into unfamiliar waters to pursue your dream, chances are you won’t succeed right off the bat.
What’s more likely to happen is that you’ll stumble once you reach that first hurdle.
The fact is, you’ll hear no’s (or get ghosted!) many times before succeeding.
And this goes for anything! Whether you’re chasing the ideal career, trying to find THE one or make friends in a new city, you’ll make many mistakes and ultimately fail before you get what you want.
So, when you hit that inevitable roadblock, don’t give in!
Keep going and be persistent. Because alongside consistency, persistence will pay off in the end.
Even Stephen King faced roadblocks on his path to being an author. His first novel Carrie was rejected by 30 publishers before it was finally published!
10) Waiting for the right time
The last habit that could be holding you back from achieving your dreams is waiting for the right time.
Perhaps you’re waiting until the circumstances are right. Until you’ve done X, Y and Z before you make your move.
Or maybe you’re a perfectionist, and this means that everything has to be right before you take that chance.
Or you could be scared because you don’t feel ready or prepared.
Well, I’ve got news for you. The circumstances may never be right. The slots may never fit into place.
It’s scary, but sometimes, you have to take that leap of faith and just go for it.
If you don’t know where to start, this free Reset Your Life Compass challenge by life coach Jeanette Brown can help you get started.
It will help you live a more purposeful and fulfilling life through a 5-day series of exercises.
So, if you’re ready to make a positive change, click here to reset your life compass!
Final thoughts
Relate to any of these habits that are potentially holding you back? If so, then awareness is the first step to making a positive change.
Go ahead and write down your goals. Switch off those limiting beliefs, get into a routine and just go for it!
And remember. Stay consistent, persistent and believe in yourself!
