September 14, 2019 6 min read

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Often times, there are people all around the world that give up on their dreams way too early in life. For example, there are many musicians who may enjoy their college years playing shows, only to eventually move on to law school or medical school because of the financial stability that these professions offer.

Similarly, there are entrepreneurs who might give up on their startup because they feel like it isn’t growing at the pace that they want it to, or artists that decide to stop creating works of art because it isn’t lucrative. Here are fifteen common regrets from those who give up on their dreams.

They let others influence them

There’s a good chance that those feeling regret now have let other people “get in their head” and tell them what is and isn’t possible. Many individuals might regret how much power they gave these people, whether they are friends and/or family.

Lack of discipline

Even if you are extremely passionate about your dream- are you disciplined enough? If you want to run a marathon, you have to train. Similarly, if you don’t have discipline, your dreams will be that much harder to achieve.

They feel misunderstood

There might be cultural and/or societal norms holding them back from achieving their dreams. For example, they may have resigned themselves to the fact that they are misunderstood, and that there is no real role for their dream in that particular city, country, or region of the world.

They settled

There are plenty of entrepreneurs that could have settled at a certain point. For example, there are entrepreneurs that could have sold their company instead of reaching a certain milestone. However, settling often means regret down the line.

Refuse to pivot

Let’s say that your dream is to make it as a musician, but you only insist on selling CDs. This approach clearly wouldn’t make sense, since music has gone digital now. It’s easy to see how someone with this dream might regret being so stubborn about a certain aspect of their dream, when they could have pivoted and adjusted.

They get bored

You might love the “idea” of a dream, but realize that the actual leg work when it comes to achieving your dream can be monotonous. Often times, people actually get bored while they try to reach their goals, and the time can often slip away from them.

They stop believing

Even if you believe that you are incredible, the world can often let you know that your work isn’t being appreciated or understood. This can take its toll, even on the most secure people. Often times, those who regret giving up on their dreams understand that they have stopped believing in themselves, which is extremely important.

They need guarantees

The idea of income that isn’t guaranteed can be scary. After all, how are you supposed to provide for yourself and/or your family if your dream won’t guarantee a certain amount of money? Many times, practical people gave up on their dreams because they realized that they require some level of financial stability.

There will undoubtedly be ups and downs when it comes to pursuing a dream, and your life might be unstable in certain aspects. If you can’t handle this, there’s a good chance that you’ll end up giving up on our dream.

Toxic people

There are toxic people everywhere, who often feed on negative energy. They feel better about themselves when they put down other people. Believe it or not, you might even have toxic friends. These friends may have slowly convinced you that your dreams were out of reach.

They fail once

Failure can be tough, but it might motivate some. For example, a comedian might bomb on stage, and work on their material because they never want to feel that feeling again. However, many people might decide to give up in that moment because of that one failure.

They want to fast forward

Unfortunately, not all entrepreneurs are hoping to have a positive impact on the world or solve a specific problem. There are plenty of people that simply want to make money, become famous, or have other superficial goals that don’t really speak to their actual purpose. Many individuals focused on the need for the “end results”, rather than the process, and that’s why they ended up giving up on their dream.

Unsure of their dream

Unfortunately, there are people that believe that their dream is one thing, only to find that it has changed months or years later. It can be tough to truly pin down what you want in life, and this has certainly led to many people abandoning their dreams.

The path is unclear

There are all sorts of people that have been able to succeed, whether they grew up in poverty, have no connections to the sector, or they live in a part of the world where a certain career doesn’t seem practical. When the path is unclear, this can lead to many people giving up.

Wrong time

There are plenty of people that have a dream, but feel as though it’s the wrong time for that dream. They might feel like they are too old to start a business, or too young to be a politician, for example. However, this doesn’t stop many people from achieving what they wish for.

Afraid of success

Believe it or not, there are people who are their own worst enemy when it comes to their dreams. They might, consciously or subconsciously, be actually afraid of succeeding. This can often lead to self-sabotaging behavior, for example. If you are afraid of success, there’s a good chance that you won’t pursue your dreams fully.

Dreams certainly aren’t easy to pursue. It takes a strong mentality, discipline, and focus. You should evaluate your dreams from time to time, and make sure that you are making progress consistently. Otherwise, you might end up regretting the fact that you gave up on your dreams down the line.

Related: Reclaiming Your Entrepreneurial Dreams- Searchie's Sahiqa And Harvey Bennett