5 Dream Killers and How to Overcome Them

5 Dream Killers and How to Overcome Them

A dream is just wishful thinking until you take action toward living it.

Achieving your goal weight. Starting your own small business. Working from home. Taking that trip to France. Going back to college to get your degree. Saving enough money to buy your dream home. Meeting your husband and having children.

How many times have you said something along the lines of, “I wish I could _____” or, “My life would be so much better if only _____?”

If you feel like it’s not worth chasing dreams, I have news for you: It 1000% is always worth chasing your dreams.

Life is too short to not pursue your dreams and live the life you want. Why settle for a life that leaves you unfulfilled when you’re fully capable of having more?

Let’s talk about the five dream killers and how to overcome them.

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5 Dream Killers and How to Overcome Them

Focusing on the Past Instead of the Future

If you’re past-focused, you’ll repeat more of the past, and nothing will change.

Dwelling on what happened to you as a child, in 2020, or sometime in-between will not serve your dreams.

I highly recommend rewriting your past-specifically the part you’re hung up on.

For many people, right now, they’re hung up on 2020.

And I get it. For most of us, 2020 sucked.

I personally went through three unexpected losses and several hardships within my family-most of which happened around the same time.

It was tough. I allowed myself to grieve, and when that whirlwind of loss and hardship died down, I knew it was time to move forward.

Rewrite your story about 2020. What lessons did you learn? How did 2020 help you grow?

My story about 2020 is one of gratitude, resilience, and peace, anchored by faith.

The story you tell about 2020 will impact how you approach 2021.

Don’t let what happened in 2020-or any time in your past-kill your dreams.

I love this quote by Rumi:

“Whatever you seek, is seeking you.” ~Rumi

Are you seeking more of your past…or your future?

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Confusion

A confused mind is an undisciplined mind. Confusion is your mind’s way of keeping you “stuck.”

“I am confused” is a useless and unproductive thought. It is a serious dream-killer.

Instead of throwing your hands up in the air and saying “I don’t know” (not an option), make a list of 20-25 goals or dreams for 2021.

Create this list with the mindset that anything is possible. Money is not an obstacle. What people would think is not an obstacle. There are no obstacles.

It can be something little, like learning how to crochet, or something as massive as starting your own business and quitting your job.

Then, start to narrow down your list.

Get focused by selecting the top three from your list of items.

Don’t use too much time to do this step-go with your first instincts.

Also, avoid choosing more than three-too many goals at once will cause your brain to scatter and you won’t be able to hone in on your goals. You’ll be giving partial energy to multiple goals at once and are likely to not see them through.

We’ll come back to this list later in the next section.

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Indecision

Another dream-killer is indecision.

Indecision is a result of fear-as long as you don’t decide, you don’t have to face the unknown (which is scary to your brain).

But everything you want and don’t have yet is in the unknown.

Momentum and results follow decisions-even if they turn out to be the “wrong” ones.

There truly is no “wrong” decision because each decision you make takes you one step forward. Even if you discover it wasn’t the “right” decision, you can make another decision and try something else until you get it right.

The key is that you’re taking action and moving the needle forward instead of staying stuck in indecision.

I recently made the decision to resign from one of my part-time jobs, because I felt it was time to move on and focus on my other personal business ventures, which has been my dream all along.

It was scary.

This decision required that I step up and find a way to compensate for the income I was losing. But I knew it was now or never, so I pulled the plug.

Had I stayed at that job, I would have remained in the comfort and security I felt there, which my brain loved. Resigning meant trusting God and lighting a fire under my seat to grow my personal business ventures to compensate for the income I was losing.

Now, I’m happy to say I’ve made some great gains since resigning. Had I stayed, I would have never stepped out in faith the way I have and I would have never known how things would turn out.

Even if you make a decision that doesn’t turn out the way you hoped (and I’ve been there plenty of times), you just keep moving forward and making more decisions until you get it right.

Otherwise, you just stay stuck, and you don’t move the needle toward living the life you want-which is a greater price to pay than any setback by making a decision that doesn’t work out the way you’d hoped.

That said, I want you to examine your list, and choose one big goal of the three remaining. This will be your big goal for 2021.

Write it out as if it is December 31^st, 2021, and your goal has already been achieved.

“It is December 31^st, 2021, and I…”

Next, now that you have your one big goal, start to work toward it in 30-day “baby goal” increments.

I do this for my big goals and it makes a world of difference!

It is much less daunting to hone in on the current month and what you can do in this month to work toward achieving your big goal. Focusing on your dream or goal from a year standpoint can be overwhelming and discouraging, so I highly recommend this.

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Lack of Discipline

Dreams without discipline are just wishful thoughts.

Discipline requires you to manage your mind and do what is right, not what your emotions are influencing you to do.

In order to conquer procrastination, confusion, indecision, or whatever is causing you to lack self-discipline, I want you to write down all the tasks associated with achieving your dream or goal that you selected from your list.

Grab your calendar or planner and plug in these tasks over the course of this current month. This is where you’re scheduling the results you’re going to get this month within the 30-day baby goal window that contributes to the bigger picture of your massive 2021 goal.

You must plan the action steps you’re taking to achieve your goal or it will never happen.

I know I’m old school, but I swear by my planner to schedule all my tasks and results. Google calendar works better for other people, so give both methods a try and see what works best for you. I’ve tried Google calendar and it just doesn’t do it for me, so I prefer having a planner.

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A Poor Self-Image

Your self-image must be in alignment with who you’re becoming.

If your goal is to lose a specified amount of weight but your self-image is someone who feels frumpy and thinks that weight loss is impossible, you will be in a constant battle with yourself.

You must see yourself as valuable. If you don’t feel that way now, you can change your beliefs.

Spend more time with people whose self-image you admire. Get ready every day. Wear clothes that are a reflection of the woman you want to become. Listen to uplifting podcasts and read quality books that will influence your self-image in a positive way.

If you want to live the life you want and not the life you’ve settled for, your self-image needs to be in alignment with who you’re becoming.

You won’t experience an abundant life with a poverty mindset.

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Before You Go

You can live the life of your dreams!

The answers you are seeking to living the life you desire are all in your head.

What are you doing to live out your dreams this year?

Let me know in the comments below!

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Lisa

Hi! I'm Lisa. I help women live purposeful, fulfilling and joyful lives. I'm happily married and a fur mom to two boxers and two rabbits. I love Jesus, freelance writing, fitness, personal development, reading books, football, cross-stitching, and video games.