Fear

What holds you back?

Fear

You have a dream, something outside of the 9-5 "normal job". What keeps you from balls to the wall going after that dream? For me it was fear. All the other obstacles I put up in front of myself wasn't really the big hurdle keeping me from going for it. For years I half assed my way through, knowing full well that if I just committed and put all my effort and time into this dream I could make it happen. I didn't though, because I was scared to fail. Scared that if I did go for it and couldn't make it I would have wasted so many years of my life and looked like a fool in front of everyone who knew me.
There is no magic cure for fear, no 10 steps to concur and destroy all self doubt. It is something you have to learn to deal with and not let control your life. An important thing to remember when battling fear back down to the dark depths of your mind, is that it can and will come back and most likely will do so at the most inopportune times. That doesn't mean you have failed. It just means you need to refocus, take a deep breath, remember why you are doing what you are doing, and whack-a-mole that shit back in its place.

I still get scared just thinking about what it will take to make it in the horse industry, the amount of money I need to bring in is crazy overwhelming to think about. When I lay down at night and think about the whole thing in its entirety it scares the crap out of me. It seems impossible to be honest, even now when I think about it I'm not sure its do-able. That fear sitting in the back of your mind will haunt you if you let it. Your mind is telling you you have failed before you even gave it a try, a real try that is. 

Knowing what the "Big Picture" is is very important, you have to know what you are working for, but you have to focus on the little steps that will get you there. The day to day things you need to be doing that will one day lead you right into the "Big Picture".  Easier said than done. It can be so hard when you don't see the progress you are making. You will feel like you're spinning your wheels and gaining no ground. There may be times that you are stuck and need to reevaluate the plan, but sometimes you're just too close to see the little changes and the little baby steps forward. When you know you have to walk 10 miles up hill, in a hail storm, the first few steps will seem like nothing, but you can't go anywhere without them. 

A bit of caution is good, keeps you from doing stupid shit that will get you hurt or killed, but fear should never stop you from living the life you want.