3 Reasons You Won’t Achieve Your Dreams

Man climbing downRegardless of where you are in your career, chances are you aren’t necessarily where you want to be. Even the most seasoned leaders will tell you they are still striving for more. Having goals and dreams to reach for is one of the greatest driving forces in our lives. But, what happens if we’re sabotaging our own development? How can you tell that you are the roadblock in between you and your life-long dream? Here are three reasons you won’t achieve your dreams.

You let things happen to you.

Successful people are not called “movers and shakers” by waiting for things to happen to them—they are proactive and strive for greatness. Leonardo da Vinci observed this very truth in his lifetime: “It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.” Many people who have their eyes on a specific goal tend to not move forward until opportunity comes to them. Having a dream is important, but you can’t leave it there. You don’t have to be defined as either a dreamer or a doer. It takes both qualities to achieve success. The negative strategy of waiting for things to happen to you is also true by allowing others to determine your choices. For instance, by allowing a “no” from a supervisor or prospect derail your dreams, you are letting things happen to you instead of paving your own way.

You’re afraid of failure.

Some of the greatest success stories in the modern era are from people who also had monumental failures. What separated them from the pack was their refusal to accept it. Legend has it that when asked about how it felt to fail over and over again before inventing the light bulb, Thomas Edison conceded that he hadn’t failed, but had figured out a multitude of ways that wouldn’t work. Perspective in failure is the first step in achieving your dreams. It’s essential to understand that failure is an opportunity to learn what works, what doesn’t, and what moves you one step closer to your overall goal. Pushing past failure is true success. As Thomas Edison put it, “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”

You aim at nothing.

Success is driven by a vision, a mission, and a dream. If you don’t have one of those things, it’s nearly impossible to fall into opportunity and success. If you aren’t focused on what you want, how will you ever know when you’ve got it? One of Zig Ziglar’s philosophies in business was centered on the idea “If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time.” The odds may be stacked against you, but that small fraction of possibility is massive compared to the 0% chance you have when you don’t get out there and try. Apathy toward a goal is evidence that you either don’t care to succeed or you have chosen the wrong goal. Find something you are truly passionate about and go for broke. Remember, a shot in the dark is better than shooting for nothing.

Be a mover and a shaker.

Successful people are action-oriented. Take a moment to evaluate your current situation. Are you merely letting things happen to you? Are you afraid of failure? Are you aiming at something? Realizing what’s holding you back is just as important to evaluate as what you’re doing right. Make a plan to change a habit or viewpoint and realign yourself to your overall goals. Taking the reins of your success story doesn’t mean you won’t struggle with old issues, it just means you’ll look past them with your eyes on the prize.

What do you think holds people back from success? What have you done to achieve your dreams? Let us know in the comments section below!

One Response to 3 Reasons You Won’t Achieve Your Dreams

  1. John Reed July 22, 2016 at 3:05 pm #

    Yeah. I am a dairy farmer up here in Idaho. I tell you what, I have been at a terrible crossroads at the farm. The economy has just been tough and to top it all off, all my attempts to artificially inseminate my herd of dairy producing cows have left me with no results. Uncertainty about the future of the heard is just not a good in this economy. I was feeling depressed, which is why I was looking for some inspiration and motivation on the Google. This article is very uplifting and I know that I have what it takes to be successful. Thanks for the uplifting article. With any luck, your words and a new found positive attitude will help my business get back on course. Now, if only I can just get these stubborn cows impregnated, I think I will be on the road to success. Thanks a million!

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