In a survey people were asked what their number one challenge in life was and over 60 % said they think they are holding themselves back. What is meant by that? We seem to use this phrase frequently without thinking of its implication.

How can you hold yourself back? Just picture it. It is impossible, isn’t it?

But you are right, we still do it. It is one of the most common acts of self sabotage. We want to go somewhere. For instance we might want to become more successful in our job or business or open up more towards our spouse or friends – but we are holding back. WHY do you think that is?

In most cases it happens out of fear. Fear of failure, fear of rejection and maybe even fear of success.

What do we gain from it? We gain that we can stay in our comfort zone, that we do not have to cross our home made barriers and try something of which we don’t know the outcome.

But if we do the same things over and over again, how can we ever expect to get different results? It’s a vicious circle, isn’t it?

We cannot find light by sitting in the darkness. We cannot move forward by hanging on wht used to be.  – Dr. Wayne Dyer

We must let go of some of those believes and old, non supportive habits in order to make space for something better and new. Castaneda calls it giving up your history.

If you don’t have a story, you don’t have to live up to it. – Carlos Castaneda

Dr. Wayne Dyer compares it to the wake of a boat. It looks like it has a lot of energy but ask yourself: Is the wake driving the boat and moving it forward?

Unfortunately we seem to be living this illusion because too many people think what is behind us is holding us back but that is not true as it is in the past, it’s gone, done with! Finito!!!

Only the energy we develop in the present moment can drive us forward. If you let what was in the past stop you to move towards what you truly want in life, you are falling for an illusion. Like the wake from the speed boat, it is nothing more than a trail that is left behind.

Look at small children. They never hold themselves back. As soon as they have an idea, they put it into immediate action and afterwards they evaluate the result. If they hurt themselves they will be more careful in the future. But as adults we seem to evaluate more things that might happen or could happen than the things that actually do happen. Weird, isn’t it?

Get rid of your past story! Get rid of what you used to be if that does not serve you or you are ready to move to another level. Instead use your  energy to become what you want to be. Begin to have a passionate love affair with what it is you really want. See it in front of your inner eye as if it were already reality.

Fall in love with the idea so much that you can’t stop to think about it; that it is the first though in the morning and the last at night. See the desired end result you aspire to in your day dreams. Visualize it to the extend that you can see it, taste it, hear it, smell it, and most of all feel it in your bones. When that happens, you will start to see the HOW. Now it is just a matter of filling in the blanks.

Once you can see and feel the outcome, you just have to start taking the steps that are necessary to get there – one by one. As soon as you have made a decision and manifest that into clear goals (going backwards from the end result you are aiming to achieve), providence will send you the right tools and the right people and opportunities to actually turn your vision into reality. Isn’t that what you want?

So why are you holding back?