3 Reasons Why Most People Won't Pursue Their Dreams

I’ve had a lot of different titles in life.

Allocator. Assistant Buyer. Sales Associate. Ecommerce Sales Assistant. Production Assistant. Jewelry Designer. Travel Agent. Virtual Assistant. Blogger. Web Designer.

I think most of us have been taught to just pick something and stick with it. But what happens when you feel led to try different things? Things that utilize your strengths, skills, and interests? Or what if you have an idea that you feel led to pursue? Then what?

Are you supposed to just sit on it and wait for the inkling to explore to go away? As I learn more about Human Design, I realize why different people can answer that question in wildly different ways.

Society and the ways in which we are conditioned make us feel like we have to pick a lane and just stick with it until the end. And for many, that’s not a bad thing.

But for the rest of you…

Do you still have dreams of a lifestyle you’d love to attain or a business you’d like to start? Do you remember how to dream big like you did when you were a kid?

As we grow, we often grow into the mindset that we have to work hard and there’s no room to take chances – or chase dreams – because we have to be responsible, especially if we have a family to support. Mindsets can also be established unconsciously during childhood, when we hear parents or other adults continuously saying either positive or negative comments regularly. We’re conditioned from the moment we’re born. But that’s a whole nother story. Hahaa!

Mindset simply refers to “the established set of attitudes held by someone”. Not everyone has the same mindset and if someone is a risk taker during one stage of their life, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll remain that same risk taker in other stages of their life. Ultimately, your mindset plays a huge part in whether you follow your dreams or not. 

Here are 3 ways mindset can sabotage your willingness to really pursue your dreams and try to limit your regrets as much as possible.

1. YOU THINK YOU’RE TOO OLD TO DO SOMETHING NEW

As the great Aaliyah told us “Age ain’t nothing but a number.” It really is! Age is just a number and in your mind, if you think you’re too old to do something, then you won’t do it. We set our own limits. So if you think you’re too old to do something, then you are. But if you don’t, then you’re not! Of course, sometimes people have physical limitations to take into consideration, but even then, many times there’s some kind of workaround. If there’s a will, there’s a way!

Need some inspiration? Check out the story of Earnestine Shepherd, the Guinness World Record oldest female bodybuilder. Even designer Vera Wang got a late start. Here are more women who found success later.

2. YOU’RE TOO AFRAID TO FAIL

Honestly, failing and succeeding are two inevitable things in life. Everyone fails at something. Everyone succeeds with something. If you’re afraid to fail and don’t at least try, you’ll never know if your idea was any good in the first place. Then you’ll have to live with the “shoulda, coulda, wouldas” for the rest of your life.

Like Thomas Edison said, “I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.”

3. YOU LACK CONFIDENCE

You’ll always have that little voice inside telling you to give up because you’re not good enough or there’s someone better than you. But that’s the perfect time to remind yourself that no one is perfect. And competition in business is simply a sign that there’s money to be made in that market! No matter what business you want to start, competition is a good sign; you just have to figure out how to bring what YOU have to offer to it.

You are your own worst enemy. And the first step in creating a life not riddled with regrets is to adapt your mindset.