A few years back, while going through a professional transition, I was asked to create a Life Plan, which forced me to look at my Envisioned Future in a whole new way. At first I thought, “This is a total waste of time.” But none-the-less, I went through the process. As I documented my vision, I also noted what was holding me back, and I think those things are common for women.

The things holding me back were mostly interior and about my fears and insecurities instead of a physical reality. In other words, the obstacles blocking my pathway were not tree trunks and boulders, but instead boogey men. Once I realized this truth, I was able to plan to refuse for those feelings to ever hold me back again.

It felt amazing to label and categorize the things that were holding me back, and I want to share them because they ring true with the women in my life, and I think we all might be holding ourselves back for reasons that we can overcome.

As I documented my envisioned future, I made note of what I believe are the top five things that hold most women back:

  1. WAITING FOR “THE STARS TO ALIGN”:
    How many times have you thought, “the timing for this just isn’t right,” and that keeps being your answer every time you think about changes you know you need to make? Truth is there’s never going to be that “perfect time” to start. There’s always going to be something else that comes up. And if you’re still waiting, that perfect time to start may never come.
  2. GUILT:
    As women, we tend to put ourselves last and are reluctant to do anything that might seem like indulgent or selfish, because we will feel guilty. You should never feel guilty about making decisions that will ultimately improve your future.
  3. INSECURITY:
    Stepping outside of your comfort zone is hard. As women, we are passing on opportunities because feel unsure — when the reality is you do have what it takes. By owning our power instead of hiding from it, we find strength we didn’t know we had, but it’s there in all of us.
  4. NOT ASKING FOR HELP:
    Overwhelm can result in unwanted stress in your life. No one can do it all, all by ourselves, and it rarely ends well when we try to do so. Once you reach out to people for help, things became a lot easier. The funny thing is, people often don’t mind being asked to help and find it empowering and rewarding.
  5. IMPATIENCE:
    We all want things to happen right now. And some days, it becomes difficult to stand in the moment and wait. Celebrating the small wins is a true turning point during those impatient times.

I am currently working on a book and a series of workshops to help women overcome the things holding us back in life. All my curriculum and lessons are designed to guide you through overcoming these common barriers and much, much more. I’ll walk you and a group of other like-minded women through the process of creating a plan that moves you from where you are to where you want to be.

Truth is, you can start wherever you are in your life RIGHT NOW. No more waiting until the kids are older, waiting until you have more money, waiting until you pay off credit cards, doctor bills and student loans, waiting and waiting. You don’t need to be perfect — You just need to start.

I’ll show you how to start right where you are and use what you have to grow. If that sounds great to you, click here sign up to receive more information about the book and upcoming growth workshops.

Cheers to you and your future self!