What is holding you back from living your dream?

Fear is such a funny thing.  I never thought that I was particularly fearful of success and I was certain that I possessed a talent that could take me far.  I have had opportunities open before me...opportunities that I will always be grateful for.  So I ask myself from time to time, what is it that holds me back from really grasping the brass ring?

And then I began to think of something that used to cross my mind from time to time.  I wondered why some people that belonged to certain ethnicity's seem to target certain businesses and excel at them.  I wondered why African Americans don't do the same thing.  Why couldn't we own a franchise and turn it into our own empire the way that some other races of people seem to do?

We know that as a race , African Americans have been at the very top of the list of people that have experienced true disenfranchisement.  We know that we have been trying to survive the best way that we can, sometimes by any means necessary.  We also know that times have gotten better, but we still have to fight twice as hard to get ahead.

But with everything that I have done, all of the achievements that I have accomplished, I still think that what is hard-wired in my brain is to take the easy way out...not applying myself to the fullest extent.

I wonder what stops most of us from reaching out and grasping the brass ring.  Is it fear of failure?  Is it something more than than that?  Do we believe the inner voice that tells us that we cannot and should not reach out for financial success?  I'm not talking about the millions of authors out there who have already taken the leap of faith and wrote their books or started their business...I'm talking about the trillions of people who don't even bother.  What is holding you back?  What are you afraid of?  Do you think that you can't do it or that you will fail?

Do you think that people won't have your back or will only be there for you when the money comes rolling in?  I want you to think about this for a moment.  If you have a dream, what would be the very first thing that you would do to accomplish it?

Would you write down your plan?  Would you talk about it with friends and family?  Would you spend some quiet time telling yourself that you can do it?  What would you do?  After all, a journey begins with that first step.

~ J.L. Whitehead