5 Dream Blockers that Hold You Back from Living Your Best Life

What if I told you that YOU are the reason you’re stuck in life… and you don’t even realize it.

Trust me. You’re not the only one. You’re not a bad person. And you’re not a lost cause.

We are the #1 reason our lives are the way they are. We unintentionally do things that hold us back from achieving our dreams and from living a fulfilled life.

Are you making these same mistakes?

Find out below as I share 5 dream blockers you probably do every day. More importantly, I’ll show you quick, simple fixes to unblock you and make more space for big dreams in your life.

The 5 Dream Blockers that Hold You Back from Living Your Best Life

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.

- Eleanor Roosevelt

The media blackhole

Media is overwhelming. TV shows, Netflix, your Facebook timeline, Snapchat stories… the list goes on and on.

Surfing and scrolling isn’t always a bad thing. After all, we know you find daily inspiration in our videos and Facebook posts.

It becomes a problem when you overdo it. Spending several hours a day passively absorbing means you can’t use that time to take action towards your dreams.

Fix it: If you spend way too much time surfing and scrolling, set a daily time limit for TV, Netflix, and social media. Stick to it! Then use that time to work towards one of your goals.

The little voice in your head

We learn to be self-critical from an early age, not knowing how it affects our future success. You know that little voice in your head that says…?

You’re not good enough.

You’ll never be successful.

It’s too risky.

You’re going to fail.

That’s you slowly shaping your reality. Your thoughts become beliefs, and those beliefs control you whether you realize it or not.

Fix it: The good news is, you can change it. No, you can’t change. Yes, you can change it. Here’s how.

1- Start by paying attention to the little voice in your head.

2- When you notice a negative thought, replace it with a positive one (even if you don’t believe it.)

3- Repeat the positive thought 3 times.

I’m not good enough. I’ll probably fail.

Yes, I am good enough. I will succeed.

Yes, I am good enough. I will succeed.

Yes, I am good enough. I will succeed.

The goal is to do this every time you notice a negative thought. It’s a simple way to reprogram your beliefs.

It won’t be easy at the beginning though. You won’t believe the positive thoughts at first, because you’ve been imprinting the negative ones for years.

Like I said, thoughts become beliefs. As you repeat this process day after day, your beliefs will change, and those positive beliefs will shape a new you and a new future.

The people you hang out with

You are most like the 5 people you hang out with the most. Our friends, family, and colleagues help shape our perception of reality and the paths we ultimately take.  

Think about an addict. Before going to rehab, his friends are also addicts. But after rehab, he has to find new friends or risk falling back into addiction.

The people you spend a lot of time with influence who you are. So make sure you surround yourself with people that uplift and energize you — not people who hold you back and drain your energy.

I’m not recommending that you cut these people completely out of your life. (Though, you can if you want.) Just limit the time you spend with them and learn to filter out the unhelpful things they tell you.

Fix it: If you need new success buddies, try a club, hobby, association or new community where you can find people working towards similar transformations. Meetup.com is a great place to start looking.

Lack of routine

Let’s say you want to get in shape. Would you expect to be slimmer, fitter, and stronger after four weeks without having worked out once?

Of course not.

You understand that if you want to hit a fitness goal, you need a fitness routine that helps you get there.

So why do we expect to hit other goals without a supporting routine? It just doesn’t make sense. You have to do activities that help you reach your goal, and you have to do them consistently.  

• Want to be a better writer? Write 500 words every day.
• Want to build a business? Schedule business building time in your calendar every week.
• Want to handle stress better? Meditate 10 minutes every day.

In Explore Your Potential: Start The Journey To Your Dream Life, we’ll teach you how to craft habits that support your goals instead of hold you back. Here’s a quick teaser:

Fix it: Try this simple exercise to help you shape a goal-focused routine.

1- Write down your goal.

2- Break down the tasks you need to complete to reach that goal until they are in manageable pieces.

3- Decide how much time you can dedicate to this goal. Monthly? Weekly? Daily?

4- Schedule regular time blocks in your calendar. In other words, make appointments with your dreams.

Here's an example.

Goal: To publish a novel

Task breakdown:

• Come up with a story plot diagram
• Write backgrounds for each character
  • Savy
  • John
  • Zyke
  • Luisa
• Make a detailed outline
• Write Chapter 1
  • Rough Draft
  • Edit
  • Revise
• Write Chapter 2…

(I think you get the picture.)

I will dedicate one hour per day to writing my novel, and I will schedule daily work blocks in my iCal.

Now it’s your turn.

Living life on autopilot

It’s all too easy to wander aimlessly through life distracted by day-to-day responsibilities. Eat, work, sleep, repeat.

Because we’re addicted to living busy, on-the-go-all-the-time lives, we never slow down, pause and reflect about where our life is headed.

Are we headed in the right direction, the wrong direction, any direction? Are we standing still? Feeling stuck? What do we want out of life?

Fix it: If you can’t answer those questions, try self-reflection. A practice of self-reflection is a great tool for taking stock of where you are, deciding where you want to go, and adjusting your course.

Here are a few ways you can self-reflect:

• Meditate.
• Sit quietly and do nothing. (It’s not easy. Trust me.)
• Keep a journal.

What’s next

Don’t you think it’s time to make more space for big dreams in your life? It’s not as hard as you think. In fact, we just covered 5 super easy things you can start doing right away!

1- Go on a media diet.

2- Replace negative thoughts with positive ones.

3- Hang out with people who lift you up.

4- Create a goal-focused routine.

5- Pause and reflect every day.

If you’ve made it this far and you’re craving a transformation of your own, we can help you get there.

Jumpstart your personal transformation and get on track to build your best life with Goalcast’s new inspirational ebook, Explore Your Potential: Start the Journey to Your Dream Life.

Transformation doesn’t just happen. It takes a plan and a support system. This how-to guide is full of the top wisdom, tips, exercises, and success stories to inspire an old dream or create a new one.

Check out a teaser of what’s inside and order before April 30th to get 50% off.