What Is Holding You Back? It Is Probably Not Time
Ask people what is stopping them and most will say time, money or opportunity. Look closer and it is usually something quieter: self-doubt.
For most people, what holds them back is not time, skill or opportunity but self-doubt. You do not erase doubt before acting. You outgrow it by acting before you feel ready: move within 24 hours of catching yourself avoiding something, say the uncertainty out loud and keep moving, and for leaders, go looking for the potential your people are sitting on.
In a survey of more than 200 people I ran while writing my book, 92% said they are capable of more than they are currently doing, and the top obstacle they named was self-doubt, ahead of time, money or their manager. It was a self-selected group, not formal research, but the pattern was hard to miss. Among people in leadership roles, two in three said they are capable of significantly more, and four in five still second-guess themselves.
Hesitation shows up right at the edge of growth. The danger is not one retreat. It is retreating becoming a habit.
How to outgrow self-doubt
- Move within 24 hours. Act while hesitation is small.
- Say the quiet part out loud. I am not sure, but we are moving.
- Grow the container. Not the doubt.
- For leaders: find the potential your people are sitting on.
Confidence comes after action
Confidence rarely shows up before you act. More often, it shows up because you did. Early in my career I sat over job applications convinced my past would disqualify me, and I let that decide which opportunities I went for. Later I left a stable job to help run a startup before I felt ready. The doubt came along, but it slowly stopped running the show.
Grow the container
Picture a golf ball in a cup of water. It takes up most of the space. You do not have to shrink the ball. You grow the container, until it is a ping-pong ball in a bucket. Doubt still gets a voice. It no longer gets a vote. See The Comfort Ceiling.
Move within 24 hours
Hesitation behaves like a fire: easy to put out when it is small. When you catch yourself avoiding something, take one step within a day.
Leaders set the ceiling
A team calibrates its courage to its leader. A leader who hesitates sets the ceiling for everyone watching. Saying I am not fully sure, but we are moving anyway gives others permission to do the same.
I wrote about this in Forbes: You’re Capable of More: Here’s What’s Actually Stopping You. It is the heart of You Are Capable of More. See also How to Stop Making Excuses.
What usually holds people back is self-doubt, not time. You outgrow it by acting before you feel ready: move within 24 hours, say the uncertainty out loud and keep going. Leaders set the ceiling for their teams.
Frequently asked questions
What holds most people back?
How do you stop self-doubt from holding you back?
Do leaders experience self-doubt?
Does confidence come before action?
You Are Capable of More
A No-Excuses Guide to Becoming Your Best Self. The bestselling book behind Chris’s keynotes and the 2026 Paris Book Festival winner in the How-To category. Many teams hand a copy to every seller at their kickoff.
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Chris Sund speaks on this in You Are Capable of More, for conferences, leadership teams and company meetings.
All Human Potential Articles · In Forbes: You’re Capable of More: Here’s What’s Actually Stopping You · In Inc.: The Difference Between Self-Doubt and Lack of Ambition
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