Part Four: What’s Holding You Back?
It’s time for the fourth and final factor that I wanted to discuss in this four-part series about what holds us back. Like I mentioned in part three of the series, having a lack of clear, well-defined vision, can steer us off course or even delay us from getting started. But what happens next, after you define where you want to go?
That’s when the fourth factor might come in to trip you up and possibly hold you back…
You have a vision, but there’s no action plan to get there.
I love how Wallace D. Wattles frames this particular concept in The Science of Getting Rich:
We have not yet reached the stage of development, even supposing such a stage to be possible, in which man can create directly from Formless Substance without nature’s processes or the work of human hands; man must not only think, but his personal action must supplement his thought.
By thought you can cause the gold in the hearts of the mountains to be impelled toward you; but it will not mine itself, refine itself, coin itself into double eagles, and come rolling along the roads seeking its way into your pocket.
For the most part, I’m assuming this factor is pretty easy to understand, but let’s use a simple example. Let’s say you have the thought, “I would like to paint the bathroom a nice sage green color.” You can see it in your mind’s eye. You even imagine the new accents you’d add to the bathroom décor – a dark green shower curtain and floor mat.
So, now you have a vision of what you’d like. However, since you can’t afford to hire someone to do it, you’re thinking you can do it yourself. Though you know how to paint, you don’t know the first thing about removing the wallpaper that you never really liked and think is unattractive. You mention this to your friend who said she saw a series of good videos about how to remove wallpaper easily on You Tube. She says, “Just let me know if you want me to send you the link.”
You now have a vision and a vague idea of how you might learn to do it, but you really don’t have a plan and you don’t move forward. Some time passes. The holidays are approaching, you have family coming to your house and you think “Wouldn’t it be nice to paint the bathroom in time for their visit?” But you get busy. Because you still don’t have a plan, you don’t move forward. Some time passes. In fact, the holidays come and go, and the wall still has that unattractive wallpaper. Your vision is still just a vision in your mind instead of reality.
What if it’s a more complicated goal? Let’s say your goal is a career promotion. The same principle applies… you still have to plot a course toward career promotion. That might entail doing a skills and/or experience gap analysis to figure out how far you have to go to reach your destination. Maybe it would be smart to sit down with someone who can advise you – a manager, a mentor, a career coach, etc. The point is that you know you want a promotion, and now you have to make a plan to get it.
Atypical Goal Achieving
So, I bet you think we’re coming to the typical conclusions here. You know what I mean – the old familiar rules of goal achieving that I’m sure you’ve heard before. State the goal, decide the timeline, list your action steps. Plan your work and work your plan… and then all your dreams will become reality because you’ve made and carried out a plan to make them real.
Well, the above rules are absolutely true. It does benefit you tremendously to make a plan with timelines and then take action to achieve your goal. And sometimes that’s all you need to do.
Other times it’s more about making a plan and then getting out of the way. That’s because your mind is smaller than the Universe’s Mind that you’re co-creating with. The Universe can see it in ways that you can’t and can bring you far better results than you can foresee (and some would even say they’re the results you’re actually meant to have). Plan, act and pay attention to cues telling you what else you can do besides what you’ve already planned.
This is a step in the goal achieving process that most people don’t pay attention to when they’re making their plans, and because of that they will sometimes inadvertently hold themselves back from the full attainment of what they want. Knowing how critical this step can be, I decided that it must be included in the Beyond The Wishing Well™ process. And it’s often why I refer to it as an atypical goal achieving program.
Once again, I rely on Wattles’ eloquence from his chapter called “Efficient Action” to explain how important it is to take whatever action you can while also letting the Universe do it’s part:
You cannot foresee the results of even the most trivial act; you do not know the workings of all the forces that have been set moving in your behalf. Much may be depending on your doing some simple act; it may be the very thing which is to open the door of opportunity to very great possibilities. You can never know all the combinations which Supreme Intelligence is making for you in the world of things and of things and of human affairs; your neglect or failure to do some small thing may cause a long delay in getting what you want.
So… What’s Holding You Back?
This factor of having a vision/thought/goal but no plan to achieve it – is this what’s holding you back? Or maybe it’s one of the other three factors besides fear that we’ve examined:
- Being convinced you don’t have the right tools, knowledge, ability, etc. to get there.
- Commitments you have to others or because of personal and sudden life-changing circumstances.
- Having a lack of clear, well-defined vision.
We’re all aware that fear can be a factor all on its own… and it can certainly even be woven into layers of those listed above. Nevertheless, whether it’s fear or some other reason that holds you back, make no mistake… you are the one holding you back because… “The Universe desires you to have everything you want to have.” – Wallace D. Wattles
___________________________________________________
Angela Loëb helps people rediscover and use their gifts so they bring who they are to what they do in life. http://about.me/angelarloeb
___________________________________________________
