Ready To Take Your Life Off Hold?

Personal Development is all about learning, developing and practising the skills and traits to be the best you can be. One of the first steps in personal development is finding out what’s holding you back. The starting point is you. Simple as it may sound, the only thing that could possibly be holding you back is you.

Have you ever wondered to yourself what’s holding you back from following your dreams?

Dreams can get put on hold for a number of different reasons. Often our responsibilities as adults take precedence over ideas our dreams.

Do you remember when you were a kid and you were asked the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” What was your answer?

Mine changed over time:

I wanted to be a Milkman.

I wanted to be a Pilot.

I wanted to be a Astronaut.

I wanted to be a Professional Football Player.

I wanted to be a Fireman.

I wanted to be a Golfer.

I wanted to be a Doctor.

I wanted to be a Dentist.

I wanted to be a Lawyer.

I wanted to be a Personal Development Speaker.

Did you have any doubts that you could be any of these things? Of course not. As a kid, you believed you could be anyone you wanted to be, and do anything you wanted to do. There are no restrictions or limits in your way.

As a child you weren’t worried by the fact that one day you  needed a job to pay the bills or that you’d be far more cautious and only make sensible choices.

Then you grow up….and everything changes. You end up trapped in a job that drains the life out of you. But this money gives you the security you need, and the house providing you a roof over your head, the car, and the 2 weeks summer vacation.

It may not be the life you dreamed of, but it’s a safe lifestyle, so you persuade yourself that the boring job is the price you have to pay, and you give up on your dreams.

Every now and again you have the thought of just walking away and starting again, re-inventing yourself. When you mention this to those close to you, they say;

You’re crazy, have you lost the plot?

You want to do WHAT?

You can’t make a living doing that!

You can’t throw your job and security away!

You can’t do that!

Are you on the drink?

So you put your tail between your legs and sulk back to your every day life.

So many times I hear people talk about the things that they would love to do but always find a way to not do them. There’s always something holding them back. Providing themselves so many excuses.

How many times have you told yourself “I’d love to do that someday.” But you don’t believe that someday will ever come. You’ve accepted the fact that it’s not going to happen. Yet it’s always in the back of your mind.

Let me tell you is, you are the only one holding yourself back. Recently I wrote an article called Release The Shackles – What’s Holding You Back . Only you can decide what is best for you. Friends and family mean well….but they aren’t you. They don’t see what you see….they don’t feel what you feel, they don’t think what you think, they aren’t living your life!

So what’s it going to be? Stay where you are? Or reinvent yourself…do something that makes you feel alive, puts a smile on your face, and gives you a reason to get up in the morning?

Only you can answer that question….because only you have your best interest in mind…your life is in your hands. Choose wisely….because you only get one shot at it. Of course, it’s always easier to sit around and want something than it is to go out and get it.

I don’t think that asking this question is a bad thing. Actually, I believe quite the opposite. I am in my late forties and periodically ask myself this question. For someone in their fifties, sixties, or beyond, this shouldn’t be something you need to avoid. It doesn’t matter how young or old you are – time is going to pass by anyway. So make the most of the time you have.

Being honest to yourself is probably the hardest thing to do! I know we tell ourselves that we are being honest with ourselves, but most of the time we aren’t. Take a long hard look at your life and what’s holding you back.

I believe you need to give yourself permission to dream and be happy. Reconnect with the part of yourself that embraces life.  The point is that we can do anything we want to do. We can achieve anything we set our mind to in this life. Stop settling for the easy road and pursue your passions and your dreams.

Take one of your dreams. Now, I want you to visualise doing or having achieved this dream as you check in with the physical sensations happening in your body.  To do this you’ll need to get out of your head and thought-stream and into your physical body.  How does it feel physically when you think about each item?  Does your heart soar and your chest expand?  Do you get tingly?  Do you feel excitement and energy?  How does it feel when you imagine fulfilling that dream.

So what do you want to be when you grow up? Do you have a life-long dream that is different from your current career path?

Everyone has a dream, what’s yours? Let me know in the comments.

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