Top 10 Things that Stop You Chasing Your Dreams

When you think of dreams do you think of them as being just out of your reach?  Or, do you think of chasing your dreams as a worthy goal post, something to get excited about?

Sadly, many of us see our dreams as unattainable as those we wake up from in the morning.  Never really believing that we can achieve them.  I’d like us to shift our mindset on our dreams today.  With that said, here are some of the reasons why you might stop chasing your dreams.

1 Self-Belief

Most of us suffer from a lack of self-belief.  Did you ever consider that you can make a conscious choice to believe in yourself?  Far out, really?  No, but seriously, we simply have to make a choice to believe that we are just as capable as anyone else.  Make a decision to keep reminding yourself that you are capable.

Why wouldn’t you anyway?  When not believing in yourself is stopping you from chasing your dreams, why wouldn’t you make a conscious choice?  Don’t be silly, it’s not that easy!  How about you wake up every day and look at yourself in the mirror and say ‘I believe in you’.  Start there and see how it goes.

Confidence comes from believing in our own ability.  So, it stands to reason, that giving ourselves a confidence boost like this can help us see ourselves in a different light.  It’s not going to be an overnight transformation, but over time the positive self-talk will start to establish roots deep within you where it really counts.  And then the self-belief becomes part of who you are!

2 Your Story

One of the reasons we don’t believe in ourselves in the first place is because we are telling ourselves a story that we believe is unshakeable.  We believe it is as solid as the ground we walk on.  But, that story might be telling you that chasing your dreams isn’t a reality.  Guess what, you can smash that story into millions of pieces and start fresh with a brand new story where all your dreams are attainable.

This story will include perseverance, self-love, resilience and trust. It will be an epic story of a journey of self-discovery and you’ll be up listening to it all night (and for many, many days), but those are the best kinds of stories!  It starts with realizing that you are living your life according to the framework set out for you by the society, impressions and influences of those around you.  Any of this that doesn’t work for you can be changed!

Again, I make no claim that this is an easy thing to achieve.  But, I believe that it is absolutely possible to change your story.  As with anything, it takes a conscious choice and a good dose of grit and determination.  And,  if that dream you’re chasing is bright enough you’ll find a way.

3 Roadblocks

Chasing your dreams means never giving up.  Our dreams are those ideas that spark our imagination unlike any other.  Those ideas that fill our hearts with joy and fulfilment.  We chase them because of the rewards we believe we will receive from these ideas, that feeling we will get and that sense of fulfilment.  And then we come up against roadblocks on our path.

When roadblocks block your way you need to go back to your why.  You need to remind yourself of the reason you wanted to chase this dream in the first place.  Roadblocks can vary from money to confidence to naysayers to time.  We all have different roadblocks, but with enough passion and drive ANY roadblock can be overcome.

The next time something is standing in your way go back to why you started down this path.  Who you are doing it for, what the final outcome is that you are looking for etc.  Breathe life back into the idea instead of letting the roadblock cut you off from the inspiration that got you fired up in the first place.

4 Mindset

Let’s assume you have overcome every roadblock and you are actively chasing your dreams.  Without the right mindset your success is not guaranteed.  Mindset literally is everything when it comes to setting any kind of goal.

Make a decision to wake up every day and put your rose-tinted glasses on.  Why?  Because chasing your dreams is never going to be easy and you will need to keep looking on the bright side.  What you need to be clear on from the get go, though, is whether you believe the efforts will be worth it!  Seeing as it is your dream we are talking about, I’m going to assume it will be worth it.  So, get used to those glasses, you’re going to need them.

And, if you’re thinking ‘what a terrible pep-talk’, let me remind you that the passion for your dream is ultimately what will get you there.  You are only worthy of the dream if you put your ALL into it, and that includes your most positive mindset.

5 Lack of Support

This is a tough one because we all need support.  From the emotional kind to the tools of the trade kind.  What we need to understand, though, is that we cannot turn away from the desire of chasing our dreams because we don’t have that support.  It’s a bit like having a baby!  If you wait to be ready you’ll never do it, right?!

So, your attitude needs to be ‘I’ll start, and find the help I need as I go’.  Whatever kind you are looking for, where there’s a will there’s a way.  There are successful people all over the world that started out with nothing and somehow found a way.  Be confident in what you are trying to achieve.  There is nothing more magnetic than confidence.  It will sell your idea to anyone!

6 Believing Age Matters

Whether you’re 18 or 85 should never have an impact on chasing your dreams.  If you are ‘too young’ all it means is there’s room for growth.  Which, let’s be honest, will be the case no matter how old you are.  So, too young is never a good reason not to chase your dreams.  All you need to do is get started.  Because you have time on your side, you have the advantage of slipping up and learning on the go.  The wonderful thing about the world we live in is that you can learn pretty much anything you want, from anywhere.  Make it happen!

If you are in the ‘I’m too old’ camp, use this as the fuel you need!  Don’t waste another day.  If you truly believe that you are running out of time (which, might I remind you, we all are anyway), then make today count.  Don’t let that dream sit like an old, discarded shoe at the back of your cupboard.  Drag it out into the sun and bring it to life.  There are few things worse than regret, and the regret of not trying is almost certainly going to weigh heavier than the regret of trying and failing.

7 The Day Job

Look, if you are working 40hrs a week it’s not easy to take on anything else.  Especially if you have a family.  But, this is where the passion and purpose comes into the equation.  When you care enough you will not let something like your day job stand in your way.

Chasing your dreams while working is tough, but even if you are taking baby steps in the right direction at least you are moving forward, right?  Would you rather work harder with passion and eventually see results that inspire you, or stay where you are?

Another point worth mentioning here is that there is always something to be gained in your current situation.  Look for the good in where you are at the moment.  Are you ‘stuck’ because you still have something to learn?  Whether it’s about yourself or a skill you will need going forward with the life of your dreams.  Consider this before knocking where you are in life.

8 Not enough Knowledge

This seems like such a silly reason not to chase your dreams.  There is nothing that you need to know that you cannot find a way to learn in this day and age.  There are videos, courses, blogs on anything you can imagine.

This is more about fear and confidence than knowledge.  So, if you have made a commitment to your dream, don’t let this rather weak excuse stand in your way!  Go out there and find the material that you need to take your life experience to the next level.  If you want to know more, then learn more! (See some recommendations for courses at the bottom of the blog)

9 I wouldn’t know How

This is a major reason people stop chasing their dreams.  They just don’t know where to start.  It’s as simple as that.  They see this huge brick wall in front of them and don’t bother getting a hammer to knock it down with.  It’s just too hard.  This is where the positive mindset will get you over the line every time.  Positive people look for reasons that everything will work out.  They will climb over the wall instead of seeing it as a insurmountable.

Don’t fall into that group of people who cannot see the ‘how’.  There is always a how, you just have to keep going.  Keep learning, keep looking for investors, keep putting yourself out there.  Whatever your dream looks like, there is always a ‘how’.

10 What if I Fail

This is usually the very next thought after ‘I wouldn’t know how’.  But, here’s the thing about dreams.  Your dreams are what light you up.  Failure is never permanent.  Even the worst kind allows for a comeback.  Whether your failure is financial or simply your bruised ego, you can bounce back from it.

Chasing your dreams, on the other hand, come with rewards that are far from fleeting.  They are worth the failure.  They are the fire in your soul, the reason you are alive!  Don’t let the fear of failure stop you from experiencing the fulfilment of your dreams.

Take some of the power away from that fear of failure and place the power into the hands of possibility!  Allow yourself to imagine for once a life where anything is possible.  If you can only see that a couple of bumps in the road doesn’t have to be the end, you can keep going.  The word failure seems so final, but does it really have to be?

One Last Thing

Dreams, although they are yours, are not going to come to you.  They are fuelled by inspiration and cannot survive without it.  You cannot go after your dreams in a half-hearted way.  You have to commit!  Feel the passion and the drive that comes from an inspired idea!

If you dream of being an artist, you surround yourself with artistic inspiration.  An aspiring pastry chef will be fully immersed in tutorials and hours upon hours of practice.  An architect doesn’t expect to be famous if he doesn’t step outside of the mold.

Your dreams are your opportunity to tap into your individual style and make an impact in this world in your own unique way!  Doing life your way!  What a wonderful thing to know!  Don’t you think you owe it to yourself, and that wonderful dream that you’ve stopped chasing, to life this life to it’s full potential?

Give your dream everything you’ve got and it will give back to you a hundred fold.

Thanks for reading!

Steph x

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