Summary

The article discusses common psychological barriers to starting new endeavors and offers strategies for overcoming them to achieve goals.

Abstract

The article "What’s Stopping You?" delves into the psychological hurdles that prevent individuals from initiating actions towards their goals. It suggests that the allure of the idea often overshadows the actual work required, leading to inaction. The author emphasizes the importance of actively managing time and not waiting for it to magically appear. Fear of failure is another significant barrier addressed, with the author advocating for a shift in mindset from fear to embracing potential setbacks as learning opportunities. The article encourages readers to take small, constructive steps towards their goals, starting with a seven-day challenge. Nancy, a career coach, offers further resources for career success and personal development through her platform, TheCareerPeople.org.

Opinions

The author believes that the fantasy of achieving a goal can be more appealing than the reality of the work involved, which can lead to inaction.
Time management is presented as a critical factor in pursuing goals, suggesting that one must proactively create time by adjusting current activities.
Fear of failure is seen as a major obstacle, but the author argues that this fear can be countered by adopting a mindset that views failure as a chance for growth and refinement.
The article promotes the idea of starting with small, manageable challenges as a way to build momentum towards larger goals.
Nancy, the author and career coach, encourages a proactive approach to career development and personal success, offering resources to help individuals make significant changes in their professional lives.

What’s Stopping You?

The thinking we need to get ahead

Start here. Photo by Photos Hobby on Unsplash

According to Mark Twain, “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”

How right he is…yet how hard is it!

I think for a lot of us, not starting is more than just simple procrastination. So why do we not take the leap? More importantly, how can we re-orient our thinking to achieve concrete actions?

1. Falling in love with the idea rather than the work

Let’s face it, the idea of achieving a goal can sometimes be like planning a vacation. It’s tantalisingly real in your head, full of perfect possibilities with none of the messy drudgery of reality. Yet, unexecuted ideas will always remain just that — phantom notions with no concrete and purposeful outcome. There is no sense of achievement, no celebratory dance and no “what what I did” with fanciful dreams. Dreaming just leaves you empty with that gnawing “what could have been”.

New Thinking:

Enjoy the sweat (the process) of the work. Not only might it take you somewhere, the sweat is helping you tone your muscles and sharpen your skill.

2. Who has the Time!

I lamented about my writer-less fate to a friend the other day. And she snapped back “What do you mean who has the time! If you want it bad enough, you make the time!”

D’oh! As crazy as it sounds, up till that moment, I had never thought of it as something I need to actively manage my time to do. Of course there is no time lord who can just magically give me extra time. In other words, I need to remove something I’m currently spending time on in my life to create the time to invest in my writing! Now, let’s see, what could that be…Oh, could it be the 2–3 hours of television / movies I watch at night?

New Thinking:

MAKE the Time to work towards goals worth pursuing.

3. Fear of Failure

All too often, I find myself immobilised by fear. Fear of failure that is. I haven’t written for so long, what if I’ve lost my mojo? What if I can’t quite capture what I really want to say. What if there’s nothing new or exciting about what I have to share. What if…What if…

We could play this game forever (and believe me, I’m a master at this WhatIf game). But, really, maybe it’s high time I switched from the chicken little WhatIf thinking to a bolder “So What If…” When I think about, what really is at stake? A bit of short-term humble pie at the little setbacks in life? Some great learning and refining to tweak my goal? Are these really the roadblocks to stop me from doing something you love or going after after I want to pursue.

New Thinking:

What have I got to lose! Really!

So, whatever it is that you’ve been holding off, whatever you’ve been too scared to try out…You don’t have feel that your only option is to plunge naked into the pool or jump out of the plane without a parachute. Just take that tiny first step with me today.

Dare yourself to take up the challenge — do something constructive to work towards your goal. Start small…set yourself a challenge for the next 7 days.

I wish you every luck, whatever you want to achieve.

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Nancy is a Work Success and Career Development Coach at TheCareerPeople.org. Sign up for her Free 5-Day email course at TheCareerPeople.org to learn the mindset you need to achieve career success and how to put your best foot forward if you want a career change or get that job!