There are a number of factors that might be playing a role in holding you back from achieving your dreams...see which ones you resonate with and create a plan of action to undo these restraining forces in your life!

1. Fear.

Fear, False Evidence Appearing Real.  This acronym can be very helpful in undoing this restraining force.  Being reality-based is not antithetical to a spiritual approach to work and life.  Take each thing that you happen to be afraid of and see if there is anything that would suggest your conclusion is correct.

2. Ego. 

Our egos get in the way of so much.  I remember a client of mind saying, "I don't think much of myself, but I am all I ever think about."  Our obsession and identification with our self-concept can really interfere with making our dreams come true. You overcome the ego by observing it!

4. No vision.

James Allen said it best in his book "As A Man Thinketh":

"They who have no central purpose in their life fall an easy prey to worries, fears, troubles and self-pitying, all of which are indications of weakness, which lead, just as surely as deliberately planned sins (though by a different route), to failure, unhappiness and loss, for weakness cannot persist in a power-evolving universe!"

5. Being goal focused and not goal oriented!

If you are only focusing on where you want to go regardless of how you get there, when you do get there, it won't feel so great.  Achievement is only one small part of a human being's sense of self.  Remember the ends are the means.

6. Refusal to take risks.

A teacher of mine once said, "In order to succeed one must be willing to fail miserably!" Seems like a ridiculous statement but it has proved true in my own life.  The ability to take a leap of faith has to do with putting our confidence into something bigger than ourselves.

7. Not willing to let go.

A the expression goes, let go and let God.  Take the action and let go of the results...These slogans can be helpful when you get stuck and they serve as a powerful reminder that you are a work in progress and to keep on keeping on!

8. Not defining success on your own terms.

"I climbed the ladder of success, only to find out my ladder was on the wrong wall."  Robert Bly

Take a time out and define success on your terms and use your terms as the metrics by which you evaluate your own progress!

This is by no means an exhaustive list on the things that hold us back, however if you tackle even one of them, the energy you will release will guide you through your next steps!

Many Blessings to your success!

The Irreverent Rev. Dr. Eric