The Top 10 Obstacles that Prevent Entrepreneurs from Living the Life They Want

1. Your business controls you instead of you controlling your business.

You developed your business so that you could have a better life. Your business has grown and now consumes the majority of your life. Is operating your business cost you what you wanted it to give you...a better life?

2. Your daily decisions do not reflect your priorities.

You have a hard time putting your needs before others and often end up feeling frustrated and resentful about the commitments you have made. You find yourself exhausted at the end of the day without enough time left for the things that are most important to you.

3. You feel drained by people and situations that you continue to tolerate.

Your life feels like a long list of things to do that never seem to get completed. Your home needs organizing, you feel drained by the complaints of others, you feel overwhelmed and do not see an end in sight.

4. Adrenaline has become your main source of fuel.

You are constantly running from one appointment to the next. There are constant distractions and interruptions. You feel the constant pressure to do more. You "should" feel satisfied, however, you are not satisfied. You would like to relax but you can't seem to slow down. Peace of mind seems like an impossible goal.

5. You confuse making tough choices in business with having no choices.

You say yes to something when you really know it is not in your best interest. You fail to ask for what you really want. The word "no" is seldom a part of your vocabulary.

6. You fail to make consistent decisions based on your vision for the future.

If you don't know where you are going... any which way will get you there. It is hard to make a good business decision when you don't know where you are going. There are no clearly defined road maps for the future success of your business. The environment is constantly changing, which leaves you with nothing more than uncertainty. You continue to readjust your vision and sometimes even lose sight of what you want to accomplish. The inevitable price... you lose your passion and the drive that once fueled your energy to be successful.

7. You respond to problems in a reactive verses proactive way.

You don't have time to solve problems permanently. The best you can do is put the fire out. Consequently, the same problems keep reoccurring and a better strategy never develops. Many problems you encounter are unpredictable. Most often your client's problems become your problems. Their problems are urgent in their eyes. To add value and give good service -- their urgency becomes yours. Adrenaline is produced and over time causes personal erosion and exhaustion.

8. Procrastination has become a way of life.

Responsibility comes with having to pay the bills. The lack of adequate cash flow creates an inability to hire enough help to delegate a sufficient amount of the workload. Your to-do list becomes greater than what you are able to handle. The matters of less importance continually make their way towards the bottom of the pile while constant demands of urgency take their place.

9. You want to make changes to take your business to the next level, however you do not know what changes are the best changes to make.

The business environment is constantly and rapidly changing. Strategies that were once working no longer produce the same results. There are many ideas you could experiment with but those choices always involve a significant financial risk. Where do you best spend your money to get the return in performance you need to survive?

10. You confuse who you are with what you produce.

How you are esteemed professionally is calculated by the
numbers that you and your business are able to produce. You are trapped by the notion that your numbers become your identity. Your self-esteem takes a monthly roller coaster ride as your numbers inevitably rise and fall.

Are you ready to make a change?