It is at these times when you must take a step back to evaluate the situation, and analyze what has happened that has prevented you from achieving your goals. Being honest with yourself is the foundation to your personal growth.

You will perhaps discover that several factors have affected your outcomes so far. Some may be external, like those people in your circle of influence, but some others are internal.  It is the later that we are concerned with in this article. These dream robbers all lay within you, and they are the main cause of your not succeeding as they operate silently and daily in the depths of your mind. In order to succeed at anything, you must learn to tame them.  These thieves are:

1.  Attitude

2.  Motivation

3.  Habits

4.  Excuses

Realize that every single thing you do in life is a choice, and for every choice you make there is a consequence. As a result, each consequence is related to an outcome and eventually, to success –or lack thereof.

Some people elect not to choose a particular thing, in the false belief that if they don’t do a thing about something, it will go away. They don’t realize that not making a choice is also a choice, for when we do nothing about something, there is also a consequence.

All of this goes hand in hand with becoming responsible for your actions. If your life isn’t going in the direction you had envisioned, it may be a time for self-evaluating these dream robbers and determine how they have affected your life. Let’s explore them…

Attitude

To accomplish great things, attitude is essential.  Congruency between your thoughts, your feelings, your words and your actions must be present to adopt a great attitude on a regular basis. Once you do that, almost nothing will appear to be impossible.

Ask yourself how you feel when you wake up every morning…  Do you feel happy to start a new day? Do you feel excited about the challenges and feel ready to meet them head on? Does your dream excite you as much today that when you thought of it for the first time?  If you find yourself dreading the day, recognize that your goal or dream may need revision. Don’t feel defeated about this. Life changes and with it your goals and dreams as well; it is OK to change them if they are no longer aligned with your purpose!

Do an attitude self-check often, and especially when things don’t seem to be going your way. Without due maintenance on your attitude, it will be very hard to recognize and embrace new opportunities which may bring your dreams closer to reality.

Take a look around you. You are likely to find people who seem to be stuck on auto pilot; caught up in an eternal merry-go-round without significant goal or purpose. Beware of this! An indifferent attitude is much worse than a bad attitude. Be careful not to fall in this trap!

Strive to feed your mind with positive things, get rid of belief systems that serve you no more and do frequent maintenance checks on your attitude. Screen your thoughts often, as when you are unaware of poor thoughts you will eventually find yourself going through life aimlessly. Unable to reach your dreams you will then wonder what happened, and valuable time will have been lost.

If you need it, get attitude accountability by reaching out for resources and self-help books that serve your purpose. Consider that the best accountability is another human being. Hiring a Life Coach may be a great decision for you to reach your goals much faster. Do whatever necessary not to allow thief #1 to steal your dreams, and joy.

Motivation

Simply put, motivation is responsible for all great achievements in history. It is the “iron will” that has propelled many to incredible heights.  Simply put, if you lack the motivation to do something, you won’t do it. You might think about building castles but if you don’t get off the couch, nothing will be built.

Until you actually initiate something that you have been thinking of by self igniting your “will” through actions, it will be just fluff. The only truth is you are your biggest pose in your own life if you have no motivation to accomplish what you desire.

No one has said that finding motivation is always easy either. Every human being at one time or another has had challenges with motivation regardless of the goal or dream. No wonder motivation is the #1 challenge in personal development!

The little voice inside will always try to justify or explain why not getting motivated to do something is somehow better. However, personal growth is about exercising your free will and conquering the little voice inside. Until you do that, motivation will elude you, and thief #2 will have won the battle –for now.

Habits

The goal of habits is to keep you within your comfort zone because they provide a sense of security and this makes you feel safe. This is OK when the habits are good, like being organized or eating a healthy diet. However, bad habits also keep you in your comfort zone even when it is evident that they are causing trouble or harm, like procrastinating for instance.

Bad habits prevent you from moving forward in life when changes for positive growth are needed.  Ask yourself what habits are a part of your life. Do they enhance or hinder your life experience? Can they be considered a part of your problem or part of your solution?

Realize that some poor habits become so ingrained in you throughout time, that they almost feel a part of who you are; however, no habit comprises who you are but what you have allowed into your life.  This is great news, actually, as the solution lies in your hands: get rid off or substitute the bad habit and replace it with one that serves you well.

Recognizing certain bad habits may need careful exploration because it is possible that you may not even notice how this habit is robbing you of your dreams. You must develop habits that are aligned with your goals, for your personal growth to take place. You must behave in a way that supports your actions so you can get the results you are looking for.

Remember that habits are things that you do over and over again until they become routine. Breaking off of this routine takes effort but it can definitely be done. Experts say that new habits can be learned in 21 days of repetition. When you think about it, 21 days is nothing compared to the lifetime of success that lies ahead of you once you get the new habit into your routine. Give it a go, and don’t let this dream stealer #3 rob you of your dreams.

Excuses

A favorite one is lack of time… ‘There is not enough time in the day’, ‘I don’t have the time for…’, ‘When I have time I will…’, and the stream of excuses goes on… which one is yours?

Many people go through life wanting to do ‘x’ or ‘y’ but they never seem to find the time to do it.  The word speaks for itself. Excuses are a universal container for holding all of the reasons not to do something. The problem is that sometimes that ‘something’ may just give meaning to your life in a way that can change everything… for the better.

You, I and every other breathing human being, have a lifetime. What are you going to do with it and in it? At the end of your life… How will you define your journey if you always had an excuse that prevented you from pursuing your dreams? How do you want to be remembered?

Truth is, if you don’t have time you will have to make time. And whatever your excuse is, you must determine your priorities and decide what to do with the time you have. This is your life. Each moment belongs solely to you. It is your choice… and it is your dream.  Will you let thief #4 steal your dream?

The Transforming My Life eCoaching Program can help you tackle these thieves through a variety of tools that are designed and chosen for you by a Life Coach, according to your goals and circumstances.  It offers you a comprehensive experience on your own time and terms, and guides you through the process until you achieve your goals and dreams!