Yes—and it comes from a source that you usually think of as your ally: your mind, especially your subconscious mind.
When you have fears or concerns about what you believe it will take to achieve a goal or about what will happen after you achieve that goal, you may subconsciously sabotage yourself to avoid success.
Take Laura, for example. Laura started writing a book with a specific goal for completing it but never seemed to get there. When she considered what she thought would happen after the book was completed, she quickly realized that she had many fears, including the fear that the book would be criticized or that it would raise her visibility and make her a target of attention or that success might pull her away from her family.
When you have underlying thoughts like this, it's no surprise that you stop pursuing or at least slow down in taking action toward your goals.
To find out if you have any "goal stoppers," ask yourself: "What's the worst that could happen if I accomplish this goal?" and "What will it cost me to achieve this goal?"
