From Here to There: Why We Don't Go

Most of us have dreams. We have desires. We want to achieve things, leave a legacy. We want to be successful in love, successful in our careers, successful in life. We want to be a better person. We want a rich spiritual life. We want health and beauty. We want balance and serenity. Ultimately, we want to be happy and free.

So why don't more of us rush to do just those things? Why don't we set out on the direct path to our dreams? Why do we wallow in our misery, wring our hands and sit when we could be moving forward?

Do you have the will to go for what you want? Often we have an idea in our heads we want something, but don't have the will, the strong desire and motivation to go for it. Sometimes that means just "deciding" to do it. It's often the case that we don't do something because we never decide to. We dither; we get confused; we procrastinate. We may think, oh this will take too much work/effort/energy/money/time. Habit is a powerful force in our lives. It is our habit to live where we live, do what we do, eat what we eat, be around those we are around, choose our regular choices, etc. The "box" we live in is completely made of habit. It takes a stronger, more powerful desire to move us out of habit. If this is your reason for not succeeding at your dreams, decide now and draw upon your inner fortitude to set your will in the right direction. Drop the excuses.

Do you believe you are capable of succeeding? Maybe you have failed before. Or maybe you experience low self-esteem or low confidence. Or maybe you really don't have the skills and education needed for your dreams. If your dream is to run a million dollar company, that might seem overwhelming. You don't know how to do that yet. You don't know how to get there. But you can learn. You don't have to know right now how to run a million dollar company. You only have to know what to do today, keeping your goal in mind. As you take each step, work each day, the path will become clearer. You will learn things as you go along. Nothing you have to learn is beyond your ability. Really all you have to know is how to ask for help in learning what you need. Learning along the way in small steps, recognizing each success will go a long way toward giving you the confidence to succeed.

Do you believe you are worthy of your dreams? Hardly any of us sit around and say "I'm not worthy". It comes out in other, often more subtle ways. Did you ever think someone you met was "out of your league"? Has the thought "I'm not good enough to get that" ever crossed your mind? Do you ever think "Oh, that's for people who are a lot smarter than I'll ever be"? How about "I'm too fat, no one will ever listen to me."? Have you ever felt guilty when someone gives you an expensive gift? Have you ever gotten a raise you felt you didn't work hard enough for (didn't deserve)? These are all indications that you may not feel worthy of all the good and prosperity that is yours. Your worth comes from existing, not from anything you do. We often think we have to "work" for our goodies, but truly the good things in life, our dreams, our abundance are ours for the asking. Because we exist, because we breathe and are alive, we are worthy. No effort required.

Are you afraid? Fear is a powerful emotion. It can propel us forward and stop us in our tracks. And we can manifest fear for almost anything! Fear of repeating history. Fear of the unknown. Fear of being seen or noticed. Fear of being invisible. Fear of success. Fear of failure. Most people are fearful of the unknown and are often fearful of stepping outside their comfort zone. We catastrophize results when we visualize what may happen. We fantasize that we may not be able to handle whatever comes. But this is almost always faulty thinking. If you decide what you want and are able to take steps in that direction, the most likely outcome by far is that you will succeed. Think of all the things you have already accomplished. There are an incredible number. You did all that by deciding and taking action. You can feel fear and still move forward. You can feel fear and still be successful. Name your fear and get moving!


All content copyrighted, 2006, Life Unfolds and Mary Anne Fields. All rights reserved.