What's Really Holding You Back (It's Not What You Think)
- drdawn0
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
Let me ask you something.
You've got a goal that matters to you. Could be a career move, a health goal, a relationship you want to build. You've thought about it. You've talked about it. You might have even made a list or two.
But six months later? Still in the same spot.
So what gives?
Here's the truth most people don't want to hear: it's not your schedule. It's not your circumstances. It's your beliefs.
Your Beliefs Are Running the Show
I've spent over 30 years hiring, promoting, and coaching professionals. And the one pattern I see over and over again - in talented, capable, smart people - is this:
The ones who stall out aren't the ones without the skills.
They're the ones with a belief system quietly telling them "this probably won't work out."
Here's how it works:
Your beliefs shape your actions.
Your actions shape your future.
Simple as that. Which means if you're taking zero action on something that matters to you, the problem isn't your to-do list. It's what you believe is possible.
The 2AM Doubt Spiral Is Real
Even the most positive people I know - and I consider myself one of them - aren't immune to this.
It always hits at the worst time. Right before bed. Right when you wake up. That little voice that starts listing all the reasons something won't work out.
That voice has a name: disempowering beliefs.
And the sneaky thing about them is they don't always feel like fear. Sometimes they sound like being "realistic." Sometimes they sound like the people who love you most - your family, your friends - who are just trying to protect you.
But here's what I've learned: sometimes their fear becomes your fear. And that's not protection. That's a hijack.
How to Actually Knock Them Down
Here's the mistake most people make. They try to silence the negative belief. Push it down. Ignore it.
That doesn't work.
Nature abhors a vacuum. You knock one belief out, something's moving in to replace it. So you have to be intentional about what takes its place.
The move is this: every single time a disempowering belief shows up, you challenge it AND replace it with a more powerful one immediately.
Not someday. Right then.
The 14-Day Challenge
This is the action step I give my coaching clients - and it works.
For the next 14 days, go on the hunt for your negative beliefs. Every time one surfaces, do two things:
Challenge it. Ask yourself: is this actually true, or is this fear talking?
Replace it. Out loud if you have to. With something that works FOR you instead of against you.
Give yourself a solid two weeks of this and watch what happens. The beliefs start losing their grip. The action starts flowing. The fear gets quieter - not because you silenced it, but because you outmoved it.
Action creates momentum. Momentum kills fear.
You Are the CEO of Your Own Life
You don't need a business card that says CEO to operate like one.
The technical definition of a CEO is the authority figure in an organization. So the question is - are YOU the authority figure in your own life and career?
Because if fear is in the driver's seat, the answer is no.
That's what we're fixing.
Your Next Step
If any of this hit close to home - the 2am spiral, the goal you keep circling back to but never starting, the voice telling you to "be realistic" - I want to help you go deeper.
I talked through all of this in Episode 19 of The Career Woman's Secret Playbook Podcast. Go give it a listen and then come back and tell me: which belief are you replacing this week?
And if you're ready to figure out exactly what's in your way and start moving, grab a FREE Mini-Minute Coaching Session with me at drdawnshoptalk.com. No pitch. No pressure. Just a real conversation.
Don't just HAVE a great day. MAKE it one!
Dr. Dawn