“In every human endeavour there are two arenas of engagement: the outer and the inner,” says Tim Gallwey, author of The Inner Game of Work. “The outer game is played on an external arena to overcome external obstacles. The inner game takes place within the mind and is played to overcome the self-imposed obstacles.”

You can try harder to change by taking more action in the “outside,” physical world. But if you’re powered by limiting beliefs and negative emotions, chances are you’re just going to go faster in the wrong direction.

So how do you effect real change, change that starts from within? The first step is to identify just what is holding you back. Some common internal roadblocks are:

• Fear.The father of all emotions and probably the most popular culprit, the list of fears is endless. Fear of failure, fear of success, fear of rejection, fear of disappointment to name but a few. Whatever your fears, they prevent you in some way from experiencing your full potential.
• Thinking small. “Your playing small does not serve the world” - Marianne Williamson. If you expect less, you get less. You have to think big and believe you can have success before you will actually experience it. If money and time were no object, what would you attempt if you knew you couldn’t fail?
• Being out of balance. When we overfocus on certain areas of our lives to the exclusion of others, we experience stress and incongruence. Creativity and happiness are then compromised at the cost of feeling overwhelmed, guilty or exhausted. What’s the use of being a successful entrepreneur five years from now if you end up with a broken marriage and failing health?
• Lack of motivation. Without passion for what you’re doing (or at least a big reward), it’s difficult to get moving in any direction and it will certainly be difficult to maintain motivation in the face of obstacles.

Once you determine your specific roadblocks, it’s time to face them and develop strategies for overcoming them. You will need to reprogramme your beliefs and clarify your life priorities and purpose. Working with a coach helps many to identify the internal obstacles, develop a strategy to overcome them, stay on track and move forwards with greater ease. Steven Covey of Seven Habits suggests writing a personal mission statement (as you would for a company) and then organizing your life around it.

For the goals that seem impossible to accomplish, Barbara Sher, career counselor and best-selling author, suggests throwing an “idea party.” Get a group of people together and take turns throwing out your ideas and their obstacles—you’ll be surprised at some of the creative answers you’ll receive. Alternatively, consider setting up your own Mastermind Group to share goals and create accountability to achieve them.

But whatever you do, keep looking inside. Take responsibility for what you create externally and work on winning the inner game. When you do, you’ll start winning in the outer world, too.

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