Are You Stuck?

7 Reasons Why You Can't Follow Through On Your Decisions

Even when you know it’ll be a really good thing for you to do, you don’t seem to make yourself actually do it. It’s confusing, isn’t it?

Being in this state might also trigger your self-doubt and make you wonder if you're capable of actually achieving your goals or make you wonder if you should just give up. This agonizing over decisions can then lead to a lowering of your self-esteem. It also wastes a lot of energy going around and around in circles never seeming to get anywhere.

It doesn't have to be this way though.

The solution is to gain an awareness of what you're really struggling with. It's not taking the action, it's with the decision.

Once you know why you're hesitating to follow through on the decision, then you'll be able to work through it.

So, if you're feeling stuck, here are 7 of the most common reasons for not being able to put your decision in motion:

1. Anxiety

For example, you might fear the reaction you'll get from others. This could be something like you need to let your friend know you can't help them move this weekend.

You might know this is a necessary decision but when you think about speaking to your friend you then start to imagine how they're going to respond. They might be very upset, or disappointed, or angry. Whatever their reaction, you probably don't want to let your friend down either and you might feel guilty about it. So, the thought of having the conversation will put you in a state of anxiety and you won't want to do it.

Other emotions that might cause anxiety are:

To know if it is anxiety causing your self-doubt and hesitation, pay attention to how you're feeling inside. Is there any tenseness anywhere? Do you feel suddenly tired when you think about the situation? Do you feel like escaping or procrastinating? Do you feel knots in your stomach? These are all signs of anxiety.

One way you might be tempted to deal with your feelings of anxiety is to come up with a reason for why you shouldn't take action.

You think, "It doesn't need to be done right now" or "I'll do it after..."

This can happen even in situations like decluttering your home. You're cleaning out your closet and you're considering tossing something. This can trigger anxiety in you and you'll then tell yourself, "I might need it. Better keep it just in case I might use it in the future."

Anxiety is an uncomfortable emotion and this thought process allows you to avoid dealing with your discomfort. You think you've made a decision but all you've done is put it off until you find that item in your closet again.

Pay attention to what you're telling yourself and you might discover you use this word more than you ever realized to avoid dealing with your anxiety about whether something is the right thing to do or not. Listen for sentences like, "I might need it" or "Things might change". Using the word "might" will relieve your anxiety in the moment but it will only be temporary. It's also preventing you from actually acting on your decision.

Other Words To Watch Out For

If you catch yourself saying 'later' then also ask yourself when later will be. Set a date. Be specific.

Also, ask yourself:

Of course, you may also decide it really is better to be patient and hold off on taking action but you need to be very aware of why you're waiting and that you're not just putting it off because it's a difficult situation.

You can also ask yourself: