What’s Stopping You?

	Question: If there was one thing that you could do to change your life for the better, what would it be? You may be one of those people that has the world by the tail, has it all together, and wouldn’t change a thing, but for most of us, there is something that we are striving for that we want to be able to say that we have achieved. Think about it for awhile. Give yourself some time to really mull over where you are and what you are doing with your life, as opposed to where you want to be. It’s OK to dream, it’s OK to think big. When you find that dream, write it down.
	Now, after you have identified something, answer this question: What is stopping you?
	Really. Get a piece of paper and write down all the obstacles to fulfilling that achievement. Now, divide up the things you’ve written down into two groups. “Me” and “Reality”. If, for example, you have always wanted to buy a house in the country and raise your own food, what are the things that are keeping you from that goal?
	If one reason is that you lack experience with farming, put that under “me”. If another reason is that you would need more money to buy a place, write that down under “reality”. Maybe you are hesitant to make a move that is that life-changing. That goes under “me”. Now you can go about conquering the obstacles with a focus on where they are coming from. The ones that you are putting up for yourself may be the hardest to overcome, actually, but once you get over the first of the hurdles, you will find that you are encouraged to try and get over the next one.
	Ask yourself, “Why not?” Why shouldn’t you step up to your dreams and attempt to make them reality? Who can help? Find people that have done what you want to do and ask them how they did it. Take a class. Even if reality steps in and keeps you from the ultimate goal, you will find that you have become energized and engaged by the process. You have become more of what you want to be than what you were. You are an achiever!