What Stops Us From Making Decisions And Taking Action?

Lots of people are aware of want they want to be different in their lives, but they don’t take action to actually change their lives.

What usually holds people back is the fear of failure, lack of confidence, procrastination…all just mental roadblocks.

But according to my Life Coach, Christine Hassler, the only way to really change your life is to take action even though you have some mental roadblocks.

In other words, you can’t change the results you are getting in your life without taking action.

Here are the 7 biggest roadblocks that could stop you and the action step to move you forward…

1. Paralysis Analysis

Christine calls it Cheesecake Factory Paralysis. 

For those of you who have been to the Cheesecake Factory you know how hard it is to pick from their huge menu with all the delicious choices…

Paralysis happens when you have too many choices to choose from or when you ask lots of other people their opinion of what you should do.

You aren’t listening to your our own gut or intuition, so you stay stuck in limbo.

Action step: Just choose –  you cannot choose wrong!

If you spend time doing pro/con lists or asking other people you never DO anything.  Just make a choice and go for it.

Then you get feedback and you can course correct.

2. Fear of Failure

You want to do or go for something, but you are worried about failing.

The problem is the word failure!

I always tell my clients there is no such thing as failure – it is all about learning and getting feedback.

Your biggest mistakes can lead to your biggest growth, but you’ll never know if you let the fear hold you back.

Courage is not about not having fear – it is about being afraid and doing it anyway.

Most fear is made up anyway by taking a “What if…” statement and creating a negative mental model.

Action step: Instead redirect your negative thoughts and instead imagine a positive scenario that will happen.

That scenario is as likely as your negative scenario.

3. Lack of Confidence

Everyone assumes they need to feel confident they will be successful BEFORE they take action.

Any expectation that you need to be perfect in the beginning is unrealistic.

Action step: Confidence is simply trusting your abilities and builds by taking action and putting your self out there. 

It doesn’t come before taking action.

4. Fear of Taking Risks

As humans we don’t like uncertainty.

Our brains are always working toward keeping us safe, secure and in control.

This was important back when our survival depended on it, but now most of our life is very comfortable and easy.

Action step: You have to be willing to take the free fall, the risks, the unknowing to counter your brains default setting of comfort.

You may not know if you will achieve the results you are hoping for, but the doing is what develops courage.

Not doing and feeling regret is far worse than taking a risk.

You don’t want to wish you did something, but did not go for it and feel full of regret.

You can’t go back in time.

5. Overwhelm

Overwhelm occurs when we are imagining completing the whole projected – it’s being chunked up too high.

For example if you are walking up a stair case to get to the second floor, if you leaped up, you would hurt yourself.

Action step: Chunk down by taking one step at a time…ask yourself, “What is the first step I need to take?”

6. Procrastination

Procrastination happens when you lose sight of your why, the feeling of why you want to achieve your goal.

Why so you want to start a business, apply for that job, ask that girl out?

Action step: To get out of the rut of procrastination, you need to chunk up and connect to your endgame.  Why you really want to make it happen.

7. Perfectionism

Perfectionists tend to think in terms of very strict dichotomies. For example, “Black” or “White.” “All” or “Nothing.” “Success” or “Failure.” “Complete everything” or “Don’t do it at all.”

Action step:  Remove the “all or nothing” mindset.

Such thinking is self-defeating and at best, unreal.

In the real world, no one achieves success smoothly without failure.

8. Expectations and Disappointments

Many people stop themselves because they believe they cannot handle being disappointing themselves or other people.

Don’t let fear of disappointment stop you from your dreams.

Action step: Pursue your goals with high attention and high involvement but with low attachment to the outcome.

Your identity is not attached to reaching your goals, it is the pursuing that counts and will make you feel so proud.

Ready To Take Action?

Are any of these roadblocks holding you back?

Click the graphic below and let’s figure out some actions steps that work specifically for you!