I’m gonna cut right to the chase: you’re holding yourself back.

A few Monday’s ago, we chatted about taking action steps towards your dreams and goals. Being able to say to yourself, “But what are you gonna DO about it?” and using that as a jumping-off point to outline your next steps, get pumped up, and all that jazz. But at the end of the day, drawing out your whole action plan from yesterday through the year 3000 won’t make a damn difference if you’re constantly stuck waiting for “the right moment” or “the right time” to come along and tap you on the shoulder.

It’s not going to.

This isn’t a cheesy “follow your dream” fest – it’s a legit question. When was the last time you figured out what you were going to DO about something and then just STARTED, right away or shortly thereafter? You have that inkling in the back of your brain and deep within your heart that just itches to chase after your true passion and dream. But oftentimes, there’s just something that we wait on – as if the universe needs to give us permission to live our best lives and be our best selves.

LOL THOUGH UNIVERSE.

 

You’ve got your goals in life…heck, you’ve even got your goals just for today and tomorrow (because, bosslady, ain’t nobody got time to brainstorm LIFE when the to-do’s of today are three pages long). You know what you hypothetically have to do to get started on them all, but maybe there’s just *something* holding you back. There’s something that seems to be standing in your way, even if you can’t palpably feel or see what it is. You have to ask yourself:

“What are you waiting for?”

Maybe it’s a fear of failure (the bane of my existence), a fear of being rejected, a fear of disappointing yourself or others.

But you know what? Nothing gets accomplished if you don’t get started. If you’re constantly feeling paralyzed by inaction and fear of one thing or another, you have to know that you are holding yourself back from reaching your potential. YOU are.

Even if you are scared – because dude, reaching out on a limb to pursue a dream is freakin’ terrifying sometimes! – I promise you, you HAVE to grab the dream by the horns and stop waiting around for it to fall out of the sky and into your lap. Scary, but necessary.

No one says you have to do it all in one day.

The point is to stop waiting, and start. There will rarely be a perfect time to start. How many times have you thought about what you really – and I mean *really* – want in life and immediately followed that thought with a “Yeah I can do that, but only when I have/do/accomplish _____.”

Bull. Shit.

Cut the “yeah, but” out of your life now. You think you need more money, time, education, support…maybe a new suit and heels, or new hair, or new whatever. You know what you really need? (Brace yo’self, real talk ahead…)

You need to cut the excuses.

You’re making excuses and cheating yourself out of your own dream. Let go of excuses. What are you waiting for? Accept the challenges. Surround yourself with support. Work through the fears.  Don’t let them hold you back – you’ve got far too good of a life ahead to warrant unnecessary crap standing in your own way. What are you waiting for?????

Often, the first steps are the hardest. But focus on one step at a time! Cliche, but that’s literally how you learned to walk way back in the day when everything seemed way too big and loud. If you can keep working towards your goals for today, and then tomorrow, you can do it again…just for one more day. And keep repeating.

What are you waiting for?

Before you know it, you will have earned that degree, cleaned your house, painted that room, earned a black belt, quit smoking, lost the weight, built that business…you name it.

Whatever the goals, what are you waiting for?

Take at least one small step in the direction of your dream. Today. HECK, THIS MORNING! And keep stepping.

 

Time is unforgiving. It moves forward no matter what we are doing or thinking or stressing over.

So we have to be forgiving to ourselves, and give that oh so necessary permission to pursue our dreams and goals ASAP.

Obstacles cannot keep you stuck, because you can step higher and step over them with grace and gumption.

And if you can’t step higher or over them, go under them, around them, THROUGH them if that’s what it takes, girlfriend. But HANDLE THEM like the boss that you are, and start following every single one of your Type A-organized action plans and goal sheets with a big fat

“What are you waiting for?”

Seriously though. What?