What keeps us from doing what we want?

If I were to guess, I would say that someone reading this right now has something they want to accomplish, but is waiting to get started for some reason or another.

Perhaps they want to start a business. Or maybe they want to write a film. Or perhaps they want to help the homeless in some way. Whatever it is that they want to do, they haven’t done it yet and I want to know why.

In conversation, I have found that many people are afraid of one of two things in particular: SUCCESS or FAILURE. Now I can understand being afraid of failure as it is the one thing in life that keeps us from perfection. I can understand failure because the sensation of failure creates insecurities that are for some people, very difficult to overcome. And I can also understand failure, especially if you have failed more than once; after a series of failures, one has to question their chances of success.

But what about fear of success. Why would someone possibly be afraid of success? Perhaps it is a fear of being recognized. or maybe its because success means that you are growing up and can no longer be a kid. I have heard another theory, that suggests that fear of success, is due to the notion that people are comfortable in failure because as a person of continued letdowns, one can set his/her goals and standards so low that to aim for something just a little bit higher is much easier than achieving something a lot more difficult to attain.

So what keeps you from success? What halts you from trying? I have heard other key words and suggestions thrown out, so here’s a list of those to ponder on and perhaps comment about:

…success in wealth brings more problems than in a lack financial abundance.

…fame brings on more problems than its worth.

…the jungle of business is so overwhelming that its a challenge to convince oneself to even enter it.

…the world is such a mess right now, that it seems maybe pointless to even try and help it

…you have to go to college to get a real job, and I couldn’t afford nor was I good at education.

These are things I have heard from certain people over time. I myself have to question the true essence of some of these fears and whether or not they are valid reasons to sit on one’s ass and drift into oblivion… conversely, I myself am a person of procrastination and certainly understand the reasoning behind some of these excuses.

What do you think? Are these valid? Are there other reasons? Are there ways to overcome these fears for those who incur them on a daily basis? Can everyone be successful all of the time and can they do everything they dream of doing?