15 things you’re doing that are blocking you from the income, impact and lifestyle you really want

Your life looks good on paper. You’re successful, responsible, and so dependable. You’ve done it “right." You've checked the boxes and had success. 

But something still feels off. And since you don’t want to sound spoiled or ungrateful, you just keep… settling.

And even though you’re busy as hell, a quiet voice keeps whispering: There’s more in you. There’s more for you.

You want to make more money doing something you actually care about. You want more freedom—with your time, your schedule, your life. You want to feel excited about how you spend your days.

And you know you’re capable, but for some reason, you can’t seem to get any closer. You’re just not sure which way to go—or what’s in your way. You don’t know what’s stopping you.

Friend. You’re not lazy. You’re not ungrateful. And you’re not incapable, either. You’ve just outgrown the current version of your life. You’re ready to step into what’s next—but something’s stopping you, and you don’t know what.

Let’s change that.

Here are 15 things you’re doing that are blocking you from the income, impact, and lifestyle you really want:

1. You (still) think you need more time, more clarity, or more confidence before you begin.
   You keep waiting for the “right time”—thinking if you just had more free time or a better idea, a better plan, then you’d be ready. But IRL, clarity doesn’t come first—action does. And when you’re honest with yourself, you know you have enough info to take at least the next step (and maybe more). But you don’t, and every day you wait, you’re reinforcing the belief that you’re not ready yet.
2. You’re hiding behind your to-do list and vacation plans.
   Girrrrrrrl—you BUSY! So you keep telling yourself, after the trip, after the holidays, after the next sports season or recital—then you’ll really dig in. But your life’s always going to be full (which part of you knows). Pushing your dream to “someday” is how it quietly dies (which part of you also knows)… but staying busy just feels safer than making the space to go for it. 
3. You’ve been “getting ready” for years—but haven’t actually committed to anything, or gone all in with the knowledge you already have.
   You’ve bought courses, listened to podcasts, read some books, and followed inspiring people on your socials. You have the certification (and maybe the degree, too). You tell yourself that if you just learn enough, then you’ll be ready. But at some point, that pattern of preparation became a pattern of procrastination, and now you’re just hiding in it.
4. You’ve mastered the supporting role, but you won’t give yourself permission to take the lead.
   You’ve always been the solid one—the go-to, the right-hand woman, the one keeping it all together behind the scenes—and you’re damn good at it. You know how to show up for others. But when it comes to doing your own thing, you second-guess and play small. Because what if you leave something you’re great at—something that’s safe, respected, secure—and fail at the thing you actually want? Yeah, maybe you’re just not a main character girl, right? (But, ummm... what if you are?!)
5. You keep reworking your ideas or plans instead of launching something (messy). 
   You’ve got ideas, notes, drafts, and dreams—but nothing actually in the world. You keep editing, refining, tweaking. You’re telling yourself it’s because your idea, plan, or skills aren’t good enough yet. But IRL? You just don’t want it to be messy. You don’t want to be seen while you’re still figuring it out, so you keep waiting for it to feel less unpolished. Less risky. Less cringey. Less like you're a complete beginner. Less like you don’t know what you’re doing—and everyone will see you fumbling. Less like it is.
6. You consume content but never implement it.
   You scroll. You save. You screenshot. You listen. Your brain is full of brilliant advice you’re not actually using. Because the truth is, you’re scared to do it “wrong.” Consuming feels productive, but implementation is what actually moves the needle. And implementation feels vulnerable. So you take another hard pass.
7. You’re substituting being productive for being fulfilled.
   You’re getting things done. You’re a multitasking machine. Problem is, being productive isn’t the same thing as being fulfilled. But you don’t have time to sort that out right now, right?
8. You’re trying to earn permission.
   You’re still waiting for someone to validate your dream. To validate YOU. You don’t even realize you’re doing it, but you’re waiting for a sign. For approval from someone adultier or experter than you. But no one comes to say it’s your turn—so you just keep waiting.
9. You’re still carrying the ‘good girl’ programming.
   Bottom line: wanting more—especially money—feels selfish, even when no one’s saying it is. That programming is deep, and it’ll keep you small until you reprogram it.
10. You’re scared to fail publicly—or succeed and not be able to handle it.
    So you hang out in the middle. Not failing, not flying. Because you’re not really trying. You stay in that safe space where no one can say you messed up—and you know how to handle everything that comes your way. Comfortable. Controlled. Predictable. Stagnant.
11. You’re terrified of being seen—really seen. “What will they think?!”
    Impact, income, and influence sound good—as long as no one sees you trying to create them. Visibility sounds great—until you go to post. Or put your idea out there. Or launch the business. And until you feel safe being seen, you’ll keep hiding.
12. You’ve been trying to fix an internal problem with external solutions.
    You’ve downloaded the planners. Bought the course. Maybe even mapped out a few ideas. But none of it goes anywhere—because the block isn’t in your planner, your strategy, or your ideas. It’s not external—it’s internal. It’s your identity, and the way you’re wired to operate. The patterns and programs running in the background are the reason 95% of what you’ve read in this blog feels painfully spot-on. And until you shift that, no strategy or idea in the world is going to move the needle the way you want it to.
13. You’re showing up inconsistently (if at all), and wasting your best energy on things that don’t move the needle.
    If you do give yourself permission to get started, you spend hours making graphics, tweaking websites, organizing files. But none of that brings in actual income. And you’re too drained, distracted, or doubtful to do the things that actually would—consistently.
14. You’re calling it action, but it’s still avoidance. You’re saying you’re in, but you’re not all in.
    Remember that one time you got so sick of settling that you actually went for it? Yep—and you picked something safe. Something easy to explain. Something you could quietly walk away from if it didn’t work out. Deep down, you knew you were still holding back. Still hiding. Still scared to actually go for it. But what you said was, “I tried, and it didn’t work for me, so I have to give up.”
15. You haven’t even tried to create the life (and income-source) you actually want.
    You distract yourself and stay busy, and try to “fix” your current life circumstances—make things more manageable, less restrictive, more tolerable. You’ve tried to tweak things, change things up, maybe build something “on the side.” You spend your energy playing it safe, trying to shape your current life into something it’s not—instead of just going all in on building what you actually want. The truth is, you haven’t even given your dream a real shot.

Yes, you’re capable—but that doesn’t mean you have to do it alone. Work smarter, not harder.

I was like you—I was going to figure it all out on my own. I tried for years. I was deep in personal development—I could’ve written the book, I’d certainly read all of them. About personal development and about the types of businesses I wanted to build. I kept thinking if I could just learn more, work harder, find a new ("better") idea... then it would all finally click.

But no matter what I tried, I stayed stuck. I didn’t know what I didn’t know. I didn’t understand internal patterns or programming—I just knew I was smart, educated, and willing to work my ass off, so I kept going. Alone. Quietly.

Because if no one could see me struggle, then no one could judge me for not figuring it out. If I stayed invisible, no one could see me fail.

Sound familiar? Friend—it’s YOU, right?

You’re smart, educated, and capable. You’ve done a lot of hard things before. So you just keep trying to figure it out on your own. But if you could have thought your way into the life you want, you’d already be living it.

"Most people try to work harder when they hit a wall. The truth? Hard work without the right patterns is just reinforcing failure faster."
–Russell Brunson

The kind of shift you need and want—the kind that leads to real income, real impact, and the freedom you’re craving—doesn’t come from more tweaking, more circling, or more white-knuckled solo effort. It comes from getting the right kind of support—someone who can help you see what’s actually keeping you stuck, and guide you through the process of rewiring it, and creating new patterns, so you can finally move forward.

That’s what I’m here for. That’s the work I do. So if this hit home? Don’t disappear. Subscribe below so we can stay connected—this is just the beginning.