This is a question that I have thought about and occasionally experience. Even when I feel like I‘m reaching new heights I start to doubt my growth. Yes I am on a journey to discovering my purpose and I am still working on reaching my full potential but I can’t help but to feel like there’s something I’m not doing. Can you relate to this?

I’ve mentioned before on an Instagram post that we should never let our current positions make us feel limited. This is so important to remember because we know ourselves and the abilities we possess. However, if I’m being honest, I do experience moments of feeling defeat.

Now, onto more important stuff. How to tell if you’re holding yourself back? I believe, for one, if you have to question yourself on that question that could be a clear sign. Although it’s normal to not have everything figured out and be hesitant to put yourself completely out there when approached with new opportunities, working towards those steps can bring you much progress.

You’re afraid to step out of your comfort zone.

Listen I know all about comfort zones and how much power it can hold over our lives. We get so accustomed to this space that we’ve created for ourselves and it becomes magnetizing.

It’s not hard to understand how being in a comfort zone can hold you back. You are limiting yourself to opportunities for growth. We all deal with this one way or another at some point. It’s not the easiest thing to get over but you have to start somewhere.

Related: When a Toxic Relationship Becomes a Comfort Zone

Your thoughts don’t turn into action.

How many times have you had great ideas and plans that you envisioned accomplishing and nothing happened? I can raise my hand to this.

If we aren’t taking the risks that we are feeling drawn to take how will we ever know what we can be? I know from my own experience there are things that I have wanted to do for years and I haven’t gotten around to it. Sometimes the reason why we don’t make an initiative is unclear but if you are still thinking about doing something it’s time to make a plan and start.

You aren’t achieving your goals.

This coincides with the previous point. If you are not taking action you will not achieve your goals.

When we set goals in place for ourselves it’s always for a reason. A particular goal has some sort of reward attached once it is completed. This is not always something tangible but you understand what I mean. We set goals in hopes of accomplishing something. The fact that you even take the time to establish a goal for yourself means that you are trying to be better.

When you don’t see a goal through, for whatever reason, it can be a setback. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe this is always the case. Sometimes things don’t happen because there’s a better plan for us. Although a setback can temporarily hold us back it’s helpful to stay optimistic in those moments.

Another thing about goals has to do with intention. Why do you want to accomplish x, y and z? If you are not meeting your goals maybe it’s time to actually sit down and evaluate them. Perhaps those goals don’t truly align with your purpose.

Related: Discovering Life’s Purpose

You feel like you could be doing more.

With 24 hours in a day there is a lot that we are able to accomplish if we choose. Sometimes our day to day routine can feel uninspiring, especially if it no longer feels like it’s aligning with our goals.

In order to reach our full potential we must do. There’s a reason why you feel like you could be doing more. Whether you aren’t being challenged enough in your position at work, or you just see your life going in a new direction, that sense of yearning will not simply go away.

Start to pay attention to those day dreaming thoughts that you have when you imagine your life. What do you need to do to fulfill that dream or goal? Start working towards it. It’s time to stop holding yourself back.

Related: How I am Reaching My Full Potential

You are triggered by other people’s accomplishments.

This might not be something you care to admit or even recognize, but stop worrying about other people. I know it’s hard to be positive about your life sometimes when your friends seem to be hitting goals before you. The thing is, that should not be your focus. You only hurt yourself when you create a mental competition between yourself and someone who is in a completely different lane than you.

If you feel this way while looking through social media as well, than maybe you should try taking a break to understand what it is you are not finding within yourself. Delete accounts that give you envious thoughts and realize that we are all human and none of us have it all together.

Focusing on other people is time consuming and draining. You can’t expect to move forward in your calling if you are not even grateful for your own blessings.

The next time you feel like you are holding yourself back, remember how far you have come. Our journeys are not guaranteed to be easy but we have to stop getting in our own way. We have so much power within ourselves to be great and that gets overshadowed by our own doing and/or lack of.

How will you choose to move forward? Feel free to comment below about your experience with feeling held back? What happened when you stepped out of your comfort zone? What helps you with this feeling?