I can’t tell you the number of women who I have met, who have essentially given up on chasing their dreams and doing more with their lives. These are women who tell me they want to earn more, create things, and change the world.
If you asked them, they would probably say they haven’t given up, but their actions say otherwise, and one question that I often ask myself is this:
Why do we say we want something yet do nothing to actualise these dreams?
I recently wrote a post on 10 Side Hustles You can Start in One Weekend to inspire us to consider new ways to earn money.
Imagine all you could achieve in one weekend if you dedicated the time and effort required to create a product?
But then again, I know that this is easier said than done. After all, I too had many dreams I ignored for years.
At any given time, there are different challenges we are navigating, and these realities may affect our ability to explore or even take advantage of the opportunities around us.
Is this the case for you?
Do you dream of building multiple income streams and investing in your future, but you often struggle to follow through?
Here’s the thing: Time is not static, it won’t wait for us to get our self together, neither is there such a thing as a perfect time.
“Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still”.
Chinese Proverb
The above quote is a reminder that it is better to start slowly than not to start at all. If you are currently struggling to start and accomplish your dreams of earning more money and doing more things, then check out these five barriers blocking your income growth and what you can do to stop them.
Five Barriers to Earning More Money
Learn these five obstacles that are creating a roadblock to more income and wealth. While this is not an exhaustive list, it provides a list of important points you should not ignore.
1. You are more Problem-focused than Opportunity-focused.
One barrier is that we spend more time obsessing over our challenges and fail to consider opportunities within such problems.
Did you know that some of the incredible inventions we know and love today were borne out of people looking for a way to solve a niggling problem?
The Apple Computer was borne out of a desire to make computers smaller and more accessible to people.
I recently heard a phrase that has stayed with me:
“What you focus on expands”.
We need to move from being problem obsessed to solution obsessed. This mindset shift also opens us up to taking advantage of available opportunities.
Start where you are with what you have. The little drops can make an ocean.
“Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises.”
Demosthenes
One of such opportunities is increasing our earning potential at work. Instead of complaining that you are not paid enough. Do something about it!
Consider ways to tweak your job description to a role that suits your skills and temperament. Analyse areas where you can add greater value to the organisation and use these are to ask for a raise or promotion.
Have you considered taking on an additional role at looking for another job?
2. Not Finding the Right Idea
Do you have a problem thinking up business ideas or are you overflowing with many ideas?
We usually fall into either one of these categories. I have had periods when I couldn’t come up with a single idea, at other times, I seem to be full of it. Even though a few of these were dodgy (they honestly were ).
Beyond finding the right idea, it is also important to validate it. Basically, you need to confirm if there is any value to the world (or your target market in providing the product and service) and will they pay for it.
3. Failing to be Persistent
It is much easier to give up than to stay the course. It is quicker to avoid things that are difficult or problematic.
Merriam Webster dictionary defines persistence as the ‘quality that allows someone to continue to do something or trying to do something even though it is difficult or opposed by other people.’
This suggests doing something for a longer period than what is considered normal. Are you still trying to work on your business, relationships, or even your life until you see the change you desire?
Or are you more likely to give up after a while and move to other things?
This may be one time to consider if you need to keep pushing. In order to persist effectively, you also have to be fluid and able to make any tweaks or changes required to pursue your business interests and side hustle.
4. Limiting Beliefs
Sometimes our dreams are so lofty that they scare us and stop us from taking action. We may worry that we will fail or that we do not have what it takes to succeed.
Our limiting beliefs may also come in terms of time (we are too old or don’t have the time to achieve our dreams).
I can totally relate to this, one way to tackle these limiting beliefs is to realise that they are a normal part of pursuing something meaningful.
More so, how we choose to address these limiting beliefs will have a profound effect on our growth and success.
Here another way to look at it:
“The only thing standing between you and your goals is the story you keep telling yourself as to why you can’t achieve it.”
Jordan Belfort
This is a powerful reminder we need to adopt in our daily living. This is because we are often our biggest obstacle to wealth and happiness.
Why?
The story we tell ourselves about our life and capabilities often has a bigger influence on our choices than anything else. If we believe we are not good enough or don’t have what it takes, it is unlikely that we will persist or put our all into any venture or project. There will always be that thought at the back of our minds that it will fall apart.
If you have ever felt this way, I hope you take some time to renew your mindset. This might mean speaking to someone like a therapist or counsellor, but more so, it will require an intentional reframing of your story.
Here’s a great resource on how to stop self-sabotage from Very Will Mind. I hope you find it helpful.
5. The Fear of Success
Are we all agreed that we humans are complex? It is one thing to be afraid to fail and quite another to fear success.
It is indeed a paradox that the very thing we want in life, which is to succeed, becomes a source of fear and anxiety. Would this mean that subconsciously we really don’t want it or is it more about the things that are attached to success?
We may feel the cost of success is too high. You can often see this with celebrities and influencers. The very thing they wished for ‘fame and wealth’ also comes with its hidden costs, one of which is living in the public.
You have the right to define what success means for you and not pander to society’s standards. It doesn’t have to be monetary or popular but could be in the little things.
How about you choose to celebrate the small and big wins without fear.
Closing thoughts – You Can Build Your Wealth Tunnel
The road to financial freedom is filled with diversions, speed bumps and in some cases death-traps but this doesn’t mean it is not achievable. It is only sweeter when you can surmount these barriers and achieve your dreams.
Here is to you…all the best, Sailor!
