COULD you be in a better financial position today had you followed through on a certain business idea you had in the not so distant past? You are not alone.

Two weeks ago I had a discussion with two of my colleagues at work and the conversation touched on the subject of owning your own business. Both men revealed that they’d had ideas that would have seen them and their families comfortably meeting their economic needs had they pursued them.

Asked why they had failed to follow through on their ideas, one of them responded: “I don’t have the land, the money and the impetus to take it to the next level”. The other said: “Lewis, you don’t understand, my priority right now is to buy a house for my family because where I live, man get shot almost every day”. He added that only recently a man was fatally shot dead at the entrance to his home.

I can understand where they are coming from. However, it is possible that they could spend the remainder of 2010 and even 2011 still thinking about starting the business they desire while someone else in a similar or worse situation than them decides to do what they are not willing to do — take the calculated risk and start the same business they thought of.

That 15-minute conversation led me to ask myself, ‘What is it that stops us from taking action when that action could propel us to success — whether spiritual, financial or otherwise?’. So what is it that might be sabotaging the success of ordinary Jamaicans who are known to be among the most innovative and creative people in the world?

Dr Marilyn Atkinson — founder and president of Erickson Coaching College in Vancouver, Canada, and author of the book Inner Dynamics of Coaching — gives us the answer: “We are held back in our personal and business life because of our inner gremlins”.

A gremlin, in coaching terms, is an internal habit system that stops people from achieving their goals in business or life. It’s an internal habit or a feeling that seems to run on its own accord — something that rises up and then stops you from taking action on or completing a particular phase of a project.

Atkinson says that there are four gremlins that sabotage our success and hinder us from taking action.

1. Fear of dreaming

Some people are afraid to even consider their dreams, such as starting a business, expanding an existing business, meeting a great partner, training for a marathon, etc. People with this gremlin don’t believe they have the talent, intelligence or self-worth for these desires to manifest.

Oftentimes, past disappointments have been internalised to the point where they become procrastinators. The result is that they are afraid to even consider what is possible. People with this gremlin experience their life from this place of loss of choice as if this were their destiny.

People stuck at this stage need loving support to discover their true vision. Working with a supportive coach can clear up the negative activity and inner conclusions around this old fear system. People are often surprised at how quickly they can tune into their dreams and learn to make them real when they shift their focus and begin to see what is possible for them.

2. Fear of failure

Some people are easily inspired by their dreams and take immediate action. Yet, they have difficulty executing what they start. People with this gremlin can literally be a victim of their own minds by sabotaging themselves with their thoughts and beliefs about their lack of resources, capabilities and skill requirements.

The fear-of-failure folks need to build the inner conviction that they are capable of making their dreams come true. When these people explore their inner values and capabilities, they build clarity around positive imaging and results-thinking. They benefit from establishing a micro-visionary practice while seeing what they are building with detailed step-by-step organisation. Seeing themselves moving towards a big sales goal through achieving weekly targets begins to build their inner map of success.

3. Fear of upsetting people

This gremlin develops when people fear the dissatisfaction or rejection of others as they move toward success. People sabotage themselves with these thoughts and beliefs, blaming external conditions for whatever appear to be stopping them. Thoughts such as ‘I can’t do this because of my flawed culture, flawed government, flawed organisation, flawed family, and flawed relationship’ grab a person’s attention and result in cynical observation or wait-and-see mode.

To move past this gremlin, these people need to focus on, reach for and explore what they can control. And we can always control our higher values and whatever we consider meaningful in our lives. Focusing on these deeper values allows for renewed forward movement. Consequently, people who have been stuck with this gremlin will eventually move beyond the pack and the limited system consciousness they’ve settled into by connecting to their authentic, personal values.

4. Fear of conflict

This is the gremlin that often stops completion of a project or business deal. One way this gremlin appears is as a fear of expressing authentic values when others might be harmed or claim they will be harmed by this expression. Another way this shows up is through time and priority management conflicts. We play it safe and remain indecisive rather than move forward. Instead of completing something important to us, we don’t find the time. Avoidance becomes the gremlin.

It is only when we declare our deep commitment to our values and learn to move forward courageously, that we can begin to move beyond this gremlin. When people dedicate themselves to focusing on their own integrity and alignment with their values, they begin to conduct their lives in a whole new way. They discover a new capacity for independence by sustaining their own authentic values. The person can truly begin to experience high levels of inner trust as well as inner satisfaction. The result is a legacy of purpose that can be passed on and becomes a gift to others.

The difference between people who become successful and those who don’t is the ability to confront the inner gremlins and align them in such a way that they support their success.

Are you ready to start that new business, that relationship, that PhD, that project that’s been stalled for some time? Go ahead! But first, identify those gremlins and work towards taming them so that you can move into action.

Henry Lewis, an executive coach, is owner and operator of Caribbean Coaching Centre. He may be contacted at lewishenry13@yahoo.com.