How often do we really want to start something new in life but we are unable to do that ?
We really want to achieve a goal or change a certain thing about ourselves. may be our routine or habits but something is just holding us back, and the only thing we end up doing is- to feel helpless and frustrated about it !
Days, weeks and months keep passing by and this particular ‘Goal’ is on the top of our new year resolution every coming year with no action taken towards it.
Life goes on.
But wait a minute. It’s never too late. Can we press a pause button from our monotonous schedules and for once, just focus on the factors which might be pushing us away from doing something so close to our heart.
Instead of getting so trapped breathing in our routine lives, lets remember that we are here to actually live our own adventure.
And may be the only factor stopping you or holding you back is YOU !
Hello everyone ! I am Nimisha Soni and I can’t even tell you how grateful I am for such kind reviews and unbelievable response for our introductory episode. Thank You so much for your time and presence here ! Today let’s talk about the factors which affect our decision of starting something new.. and most often we don’t even realise what they are, until it’s too late.
In the article further I will also tell you what was holding me back. And after analysing the factors or I must say getting to the root cause of delay it became so much easier to work on it and start this Podcast.
Let’s discuss them one by one and analyse for ourselves so that each one of us can follow our own passion. Trust me if everyone follows their dream Each one of us will grow together and there will be lesser frustration and more satisfaction in the world -
Let’s get started -
1. Games of the mind -
Sometimes our subconscious mind likes to get involved with something less important but necessary, to distract us from our main goal. Half of the times we do not even realise that our own fear has creeped into our sub conscious mind and its now tricking us into procrastinating something which we really want to achieve.
Let me take my car for a service today. Let me clean my home, its time to be a minimalist. or may be as simple as, Let me complete watching the series on Netflix so that nothing distracts me later. and another day is gone fooling ourselves successfully that we could’t start something because we were so occupied.
Our mind tells us to do anything random that can easily be done some other time. But we get distracted because that particular task seems much simpler than making an effort towards our goal.
Here we will have to shift our focus from what’s killing our fire within, to what part of us really want to give it a try ! We will have to observe our own behaviour and patterns very closely so that we can stop our own mind from fooling us further.
2. Blame Game -
Most of the times we think that we are not able to take that first step towards our goal or make that lifestyle change for ourselves because of something or someone. Because my friends dragged me to this party.. or because the weather was so bad, etc etc. The list can be never ending. This blame game helps us to get rid of our guilt very conveniently.
When I got married and shifted to New York, I wanted to start with my podcast since day one. But it took me 6 months to start it. And I could only do it when I stopped blaming the weather, the time crunch, etc. I had time for everything else in the world but when it came to actually sitting and recording my podcast, I could make all the possible lame excuses of why didn't i record it until I realised that I was actually scared of the new software I will have to learn to record and edit the podcast. “How will I record it.. edit it.. then upload it on various platforms.. oh god it must be too technical.. may be i wont be able to do it.” The day I decided to take it one step at a time, it became a little easier with each day passing by and here I am with my own Podcast today..! oh my god! its so exciting… !
Sometimes we blame others because we ourselves feel insecure and uncertain as we do not have any experience in the new field and after a certain age learning anything new seems such a huge task and obviously requires a lot of effort.
So let’s stop blaming everyone around us, let’s decide to take hold of our own lives and face our fears.
3. Thinking that it’s too late-
Sometimes we also hesitate to start something new because we think its too late.
“Ohh.. May be I would have succeeded if I would have started it 2 years back or 5 years back. Now the market is saturated with so much competition around and there is no space for me.”
Hey! It’s a new day and we get new opportunities everyday. You will definitely create space for yourself if you have confidence in the quality of your work or service.
And sometimes you just want to do it for yourself, just because you are so passionate about it. And the rest follows as you put all your positive thoughts and energy into it. Remember, Universe is very kind, you just have to ask, believe and you will definitely receive the desired results.
4. Giving too much power to the past-
Do not let your past decide your future. Howsoever badly you have failed before because of your own bad decisions, excuses, inattentiveness , carelessness, or may be something wasn’t right before.
But If you have decided to work hard and be fully dedicated now, nobody can stop you from being a success or to change.
We all grow with our experiences and definitely learn from our past mistakes. We are more sensible now to Not to repeat those and bring a positive change in our lives .
5. Waiting for Approval -
You waited for approval from your parents till the time you were 18 for tiny things - that’s completely okay, but waiting for an approval from the society for trying something new or making some healthy lifestyle changes for yourself, when you are 30, is NOT OKAY!
Because of a very simple reason that- we are not going to be here forever. Days, weeks and months or even a lifetime can pass till the time you get the approval from everyone. Do we really want that. No. Not at all. It is not necessary to fit in every time.
There will be days when people will not agree with your ideas and thats completely okay. You still go on because You believe in something.
6. Fear of getting Judged-
We admit it or not. Consciously or subconsciously we have a major fear of getting judged. What will people say that I quit my stable corporate job just to be a photographer ? What will my friends say that I have stopped hanging out with them more often just because now I feel like reading more and staying at home?
See everybody on this earth is free to think what he or she wants to.
We can only control what we think about ourselves, and we have complete freedom to think that we are the best and even if we are not the best yet, we are ready to work on ourselves. But at least we are working in the direction which we really want to, without the fear of getting judged.
7. Assuming it to be too difficult -
Whenever we try to take the first step towards our goal, it is so normal that it seems like a mountain to us and we somehow give up even before starting. that No, I won’t be able to do it.. It’s not for me.
For instance we are trying to learn to play a guitar but we feel that it’s too difficult. But it's not haven't we seen people playing guitar so flawlessly without even looking at it.
So let's not say that playing Guitar is difficult.
It's just the process of getting to that perfection is difficult. And it's difficult because it needs a lot of determination, sacrifices, patience, perseverance and practice, which we lack or may be we have different priorities in life right now so we do not have time to be devoted for this.
Here I would tell you what exactly worked for me. I divided my Big Goal into smaller ‘achievable’ goals, and I couldn’t believe the shift in my energy just by completing those small little tasks.
For Example- for the podcast, I downloaded the software on day 1. and just saw some youtube videos how to use it. DAY 2 was all about trying and failing. Then each day passing by i got a little better with the software and editing. and suddenly it started to appear easy.
So let’s not delay working on something on the basis of our lame assumptions. At least give it a try first ! And I feel we are blessed to live in the times where if we really want to try something, there is abundance of free knowledge available on the internet. so it actually depends on us. do we really want to do it or get away with another excuse again.
8. Leaving the Comfort zone-
Challenging your own comfort zone and being ready to face the risk involved on the way to achieve our goal is not easy at all.
People work and retire in the same kind of jobs which they don’t even like because they get into their comfort zone where they do not have to take any risks. Just have to go to their 9-5 jobs and even 9-9 jobs each day as they are at least sure that they will get their salaries at the end of every month. And slowly the fire within them fades away and they get so used to the same office, same routine, same bosses, same complaints.
They get used to crib about the situation they are in or how much do they hate their jobs on every weekend and again start with their routine lives on the Monday mornings.
The cycle goes on forever and it is actually very difficult to break that vicious circle !!
Here at least start your research about the thing which is haunting you day and night. Take out some time in your daily routine and on the weekends for your own hidden aspirations which actually define who you are.
And then there is nothing called lack of time, its just about coming out of your comfort zone and prioritising things in the way they should.
9. We hesitate -
We hesitate because, of course we will. We are going to start something new which we have never done before. trying something for the first time.
But are we sure its just simple hesitation..? or is it fear of failure or lack of self confidence ?
Think about it. Its time to analyse ourselves and if its fear of failure, then we rather work on it. and Hey ! We either succeed or we learn a lesson. Tell me one person who hasn't failed in life ? and when you think about it, there can be only that person who has never ever tried !
10. The pointless comparisons -
We compare ourselves with the people who are already successful in that particular field and end up feeling jealous and may be low about ourselves. We feel that they could achieve success because may be they were really lucky or they had something extra within them.
But trust me that the only thing extra in them is the time, energy and determination put into the task, which you might be lacking right now.
And getting jealous pulls out all our positive energy which we should rather be using to work on ourselves and our goals.
But no worries, if you have thought of doing something over and over again, that means thats the voice of your soul which knows what exactly is going to work for you in life.
Let’s not spend another minute doubting our own abilities or being jealous and put all our positive thoughts and energy in doing the thing which we really want to.
So Stop Doubting ! Start Doing !
Thats’ all for today ! I am keen to listen to your stories of what keeps holding you back from starting something new in life or when you really want to change something about yourself..!!
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