I talk to people wherever I am. I’ve met no strangers and don’t have any problem at all striking up a conversation with someone I’ve only known for three seconds.

No matter where I travel I find people with big dreams. They want to be wealthy entrepreneurs or award winning authors. And yet they’re not… yet.

Exploring the cause—the real root of their challenge—most often does not reveal obstacles that sidelines them. No, when it comes right down to it, their lack of success is at the hands of the enemy in the mirror.

We are the ones who sabotage our efforts more than any outside force ever could. It begins innocently enough but then it builds into a unstoppable force that will topple even the best laid plans.

It usually starts innocent enough. You can’t write today because the baby is sick. Fair enough. If you didn’t take care of the little darling, you’d have other issues. But then tomorrow you decide you need to research diseases with your child’s symptoms… you know, the ones they no longer have.

The next day you feel you need to have an internet presence so you spend all your writing time responding to posts on Facebook—to people you don’t even know but wanted to be your friend.

And you always need to play that game of Spider Solitaire—or five—because it helps you get centered on your story again. But you and I both know it never does. It just eats away your time.

Hours turn into days and weeks turn into unproductive years, and you suddenly find yourself without any more days and no dream come true to show for it. You look squarely at the enemy in the mirror and wish you’d never met them.

But, here’s the exciting thing. It doesn’t have to be that way! You’re in total control! Okay, so you may not be able to completely prevent little Johnny from getting the flu, but you certainly can use the time wisely.

You must keep your dream right in front of you. Remind yourself each morning why you write. Block off time to sit at the computer and write, or otherwise work on your story every single day. If something legitimately comes up, just go with it but please don’t create reasons to avoid your dream.

Don’t become your enemy in the mirror. Love the person looking back at you by staying the course. Nothing you would otherwise do will ever bring you the joy and sense of accomplishment of typing “the end” at the conclusion of a manuscript.

Love yourself. Live your dream.