Why People Don't Do What They Really Want to in Life

You've been thinking for years that you'd like to start your own cupcake business. Maybe you've even decided in your 50s, to join a rock band. Our personal goals come in all shapes and sizes. That's the beauty of having dreams. But for some reason, we infrequently realize our inner potential, instead finding ways to avoid the things we really want in life. Why are we so hesitant to strive for the things that would make us truly happy? The answers are typically buried deep within the psyche.

Fear of succeeding is perhaps one of the biggest reasons that people don't follow through on their goals. Because where are you supposed to go once you've already reached the top? And furthermore, doesn't succeeding mean that you must continually "top" your last golden efforts? Success can mean a lot of different things, often yielding some unexpected results---the reason why some people adopt an "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" attitude.

Peer Pressure (of the opposite kind)

One might think that grown adults wouldn't actually succumb to the peer pressure they experienced as youths. But that is exactly what happens more often than you realize. What will my friends think? This is precisely the thought that runs through your mind when you're about to embark on an unpopular life choice. It's hard to wrap your brain around the fact that your peers might not understand (or support) your ideas. But it happens all the time.

Planning a 2-week vacation to Australia when you've never been out of the country can be daunting. But the person who is truly passionate about traveling the world will do the necessary research to ensure a safe and enjoyable journey. In fact, there are millions of services designed to assist the tentative traveler. Sometimes our dreams seem so big that we have no idea where to begin in making them come true. It's much easier to assume we can't do something than to find our way to those first few steps.

Have you noticed that people tend to automatically assume that the things they want are supposed to be difficult to obtain? It is for this very reason that some people never strive to obtain their goals. Certainly, becoming a professional singer can't be as easy as signing up for an open mic show. But sometimes that does occur. As unlikely as it may seem, getting the things you want doesn't always require some sort of intense struggle. Sure, you can expect obstacles. But the more you assume that you won't be able to do something, the more impossible achieving your goals will seem.

SOURCES:

www.psychologytoday.com
www.about.com
www.ivillage.com