There is a big difference between knowing the path and walking the path. We almost always know what we should do to better our personal and professional lives. You know what you want and how to get it, but yet you find yourself forever stuck in-between the planning stage and the doing stage. What’s holding you back?
The knowing-doing gap is the single biggest obstacle to success in any endeavor in life, and for many of us, it seems nearly impossible to bridge that gap. No amount of university degrees, reading, studying, planning, and preparation will change anything. Action is needed for change.
Acting on what you know and being proactive towards your goals is a mindset and way of life that you too can embrace. Read on to better understand this barrier towards greatness and begin to tear it down.
What’s Holding You Back?
Are you struggling with slow or stagnant progress towards your goals in your personal and professional life? Take solace in the fact that everyone you perceive as being happy, content, and productive individuals have been exactly where you are now at some point in their journey.
It may seem cliché but it really is “all in your head.” Your thoughts are what create your reality and the right thoughts and beliefs drive you towards actionable results.
The good news is once you identify the thinking that holds you back from taking action, it won’t be long before those beliefs become less intimidating. They will be powerless to keep you from doing what is necessary to change what you do to be in line with what you want out of life.
Dream vs Goal
It is easy to blame the fact that we aren’t where we could be on being lazy, or unwilling to change and sacrifice for a better future. Don’t be so hard on yourself, but at the same time realize that ultimately it is up to you to find the motivation and drive within yourself.
What is the difference between having dreams and having goals? The only real difference is a deadline. When you put a date to your dream it becomes a goal. A dream seems unreal and out of your reach, but imposing a time frame towards reaching your dream prepares your mind to pursue your goals.
Shifting Paradigms
Your philosophies and theories on life form a paradigm that limits your perception of yourself, your abilities, and ultimately the confidence you need to take those first steps of action. Shifting paradigms are naturally terrifying because they seek to destroy the very fabric of our ego (self-image).
Prison of Belief
These are just a few of the aspects that contribute to our inner belief system or paradigm and define who we believe we are:
- nationality and local culture
- education
- family upbringing
- life experience
- social and economic status
- chosen career
Think of a paradigm shift as a way of realizing the potential you already have. It is as if we were told we can only operate our lives at 40 miles an hour. Even though we see and know that not to be true from the world around us we believe it anyway.
“We never get up to the speed we are capable of and… if we did, we’d astonish ourselves” – Bob Proctor
Should we believe such limitations without at least testing them ourselves? We take a look around and see others seem to be running at 200 miles an hour, but because of our paradigm prison of belief, we believe and accept that we are just not able to keep up.
Destructive Habits
Ultimately and definitively, what we do defines us. Our beliefs lead our behaviors – our behaviors shape our habits – our habits define our lives. We tend to think of learning as the answer but knowing is only half the battle. Next, we have to change our behavior to match our ambition.
“Education does not mean teaching people what they do not know. It means teaching them to behave as they do not behave” – John Ruskin.
Cycles of shame and destructive habits seem difficult to change and indeed they are if you don’t first seek to change the paradigm that supports them.
Holding Back Personally
Most everybody knows in their heart what they need to live happy fulfilling lives. You know what you really want even if you don’t dare much anymore to think about it. Here are just a few of the areas in our personal lives we may want to work on:
- love life
- friendships
- family relationships
- community involvement
- social groups and hobbies
So, if you know what’s good for you, what holds you back from living the life you know you want?
Internal Dialogue
We are constantly talking to ourselves. Do you find that your internal dialogue is consistent with negative thoughts towards pursuing your goals? These thoughts have the power to hold you back from doing what you know you should do.
No matter if you tell yourself “I can” or you say “I can’t” you are right. Here are some of the common things we tell ourselves that hold us back:
- I am incapable of achieving my goals
- I am not ready to act and need to know more
- I don’t want to fail and cause more suffering for myself
- things are what they are and I need to accept my fate to find peace
- dreaming for more in life is immature and selfish
- I’m not good enough and don’t deserve what others have
Self-Doubt
Take an example from physical wellness. We know that eating right and doing sport is vital for our health yet we make all kinds of excuses for ourselves not to take action. We might even think up work schedules and plan diets, but when it’s time to commit and change we “try” and fail.
Doubt creeps in about how things will work out and if the change is worth the discomfort. Self-talk overwhelms you with worry and what-ifs.
What if exercising makes me too tired to do my job well? What’s the point? I am never going to be as fit as I was as a teenager again.
Holding Back Professionally
Management professionals are often frustrated and confused about why some of the employees they train take what they learn and excel at the job while others can’t seem to catch on. How is it, when given the same resources, information, and attention employees’ performances vary to such a degree?
Most employees want to do a good job. They will listen and understand instructions, read and memorize policy and procedure, but yet fail to follow through on the job.
If we know what and how to thrive in our careers what holds us back from succeeding? We compare ourselves to others and decide that we are somehow incapable, undeserving, or in some way inferior to them. The same principle of self-limiting beliefs in our personal lives is at it again in our professional lives.
Thinking Into Results
Find out exactly how to take hold of your life and how to break mental barriers with our proven system. Once we have identified what’s holding you back from greatness, we will systematically disempower it and give you the tools to cross the knowing-doing gap and onto realising unlimited potential.
With our powerful “Thinking into Results” program, we will unlock a world of possibilities by challenging the paradigms that are holding you back. Knowledge is power, but only through action do we realise our full potential. Contact us and send a message to see how we can help.
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