Are you ambitious? Here’s what could be tripping you up

There are plenty of obstacles to accomplishing our goals. The first step is to recognize them.

What Are You Waiting For?

You’ve got ambition, you’ve got goals, but things just don’t seem to be getting done. What are you waiting for? Let’s address a few things that may be holding you back from reaching your goals and what you can do about it. I want you to tackle milestone and feel success in your life.

Lack of Direction

It’s very common to have great ideas and goals in our business and person lives, but sometimes they feel so big that we don’t know how or where to get started. This can feel very overwhelming and cause people to shut down before they ever get started. You can’t move forward if you don’t start by putting one foot in front of the other or, in our case, one action in front of the other.

Think about when you’re running errands and you have to drive to your local grocery store for dinner supplies. You have to know what direction to go from your home, which streets to drive on, where to turn and which grocery store you’re going to shop at. You have to know your destination. We can create direction or a destination with our own goals very easily. It all starts by breaking them down into simple steps.

Consider the goal of running a half marathon. You don’t get off the couch after not running for 3 years, leave your house and successfully start running 13.1 miles. Instead you break it down. You buy the right shoes and comfortable running gear, you start walking, you graduate to jogging and you start increasing your miles and time out on the running paths.

Today I want you to think about your goal and write down each step you need to take, even if you have setbacks. You can always make adjustments along the way. Just like if you’re training for your half marathon and get a leg pain, you slow down for a little while and then start running again when you can.

Lack of Time

Having enough time to get things done can be a challenge, but it’s certainly not impossible. You do have to be realistic about making your steps reasonable and then carve out the time you need to work on them. This may require looking for places to save time like not watching TV for two hours every night or having Netflix marathons on the weekend.

For example, you probably can’t write a book in one day, but you can write a chapter or even just a few paragraphs every day. With consistency, a book will emerge.

This doesn’t have to be a race to the finish line. Remember the tortoise and the hare-the slow one was the winner in the end.

Lack of Energy

Busy people expend a lot of energy as they tend to take a lot of projects and activities. Are you dispersing your energy in so many places that you don’t have enough time to work on your goals? You may have to get serious and realistic about where you place the focus for your much-needed energy. Do you have:

Too many meetings?

Too many volunteer activities?

Too much socializing going on?

Too much time spent doing for others who could be helping themselves?

You may find you can cut something to create more time and energy for the things that are really important to you. You can’t do it all and nor should you do it all.

And don’t forget to work on your goals during the time of day that you naturally have the most energy. This will make tasks go much more smoothly and you will be able to work more efficiently.

Lack of Knowledge

Not feeling like we know what we’re doing can easily hold us back and make us feel overwhelmed. Let’s say you want to create YouTube videos for your business, but you have no idea how to do that. It can quickly stop you in your tracks since you won’t know how to go about it.

Gaining the knowledge that we need to accomplish new things takes time. But it’s possible to use small chunks of time to acquire a little bit of information at a time. You don’t have to read a whole book on a topic in one day; you can read just one chapter. There are other options at your disposal as well:

You can pay someone someone to teach you.

You can ask someone to teach you.

You may be able to pay someone to do it for you.

Staying on top of things can be a challenge as technology changes and new products and apps come out all the time. But if gaining knowledge for a skill is going to help you meet your goals and help you move your business forward, then it’s well-worth the time and effort to learn it or delegate it as appropriate.

Action Steps for You

I don’t want you just thinking about this stuff, I want you doing it. So, my action steps to help you move forward are:

Evaluate what’s holding you back from moving forward on your goals.

Break your goals down into manageable steps.

Write down solutions to help you move forward.

Get started!

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Business

Inside the passenger terminal at Paine Field Airport on Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Post names Paine Field as one of the best U.S. airports

Reporters analyzed 2024 data from 450 airports, including wait times to get through TSA security and ease of getting to the airport.

A semi truck and a unicycler move along two sections of Marine View Drive and Port Gardner Landing that will be closed due to bulkhead construction on Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Port of Everett set to begin final phase of bulkhead work, wharf rebuild

The $6.75 million project will reduce southbound lanes on West Marine View Drive and is expected to last until May 2026.

Customers walk in and out of Fred Meyer along Evergreen Way on Monday, Oct. 31, 2022 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Kroger said theft a reason for Everett Fred Meyer closure. Numbers say differently.

Statistics from Everett Police Department show shoplifting cut in half from 2023 to 2024.

Funko headquarters in downtown Everett. (Sue Misao / Herald file)
FUNKO taps Netflix executive to lead company

FUNKO’s new CEO comes from Netflix

Inside El Sid, where the cocktail bar will also serve as a coffee house during the day on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New upscale bar El Sid opens in APEX complex

Upscale bar is latest venue to open in APEX Everett.

A Boeing 737 Max 10 prepares to take off in Seattle on June 18, 2021. MUST CREDIT: Bloomberg photo by Chona Kasinger.
When Boeing expects to start production of 737 MAX 10 plane in Everett

Boeing CEO says latest timeline depends on expected FAA certification of the plane in 2026.

Kongsberg Director of Government Relations Jake Tobin talks to Rep. Rick Larsen about the HUGIN Edge on Thursday, July 31, 2025 in Lynnwood, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Norwegian underwater vehicle company expands to Lynnwood

Kongsberg Discovery will start manufacturing autonomous underwater vehicles in 2026 out of its U.S. headquarters in Lynnwood.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Snohomish in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Garbage strike over for now in Lynnwood, Edmonds and Snohomish

Union leaders say strike could return if “fair” negotiations do not happen.

Richard Wong, center, the 777-X wing engineering senior manager, cheers as the first hole is drilled in the 777-8 Freighter wing spar on Monday, July 21, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Boeing starts production of first 777X Freighter

The drilling of a hole in Everett starts a new chapter at Boeing.

Eisley Lewis, 9, demonstrates a basic stitch with her lavender sewing machine on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett fourth grader stitches summer boredom into business

Rice bags, tote bags and entrepreneurial grit made Eisley Lewis, 9, proud of herself and $400.

Isaac Peterson, owner of the Reptile Zoo, outside of his business on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025 in Monroe, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
The Reptile Zoo, Monroe’s roadside zoo, slated to close

The Reptile Zoo has been a unique Snohomish County tourist attraction for nearly 30 years.

Mattie Hanley, wife of DARPA director Stephen Winchell, smashes a bottle to christen the USX-1 Defiant, first-of-its kind autonomous naval ship, at Everett Ship Repair on Monday, Aug. 11, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
No crew required: Christening held for autonomous ship prototype in Everett

Built in Whidbey Island, the USX-1 Defiant is part of a larger goal to bring unmanned surface vessels to the US Navy.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.