All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.

-Walt Desney

It’s a sad truth in life that the vast majority of people give up on their dreams.

Sometimes it happens early. A kid is told by his or her parents that whatever they’re aiming for is impossible to reach.

Sometimes it happens later. You get older, tired, and instead of trying to pivot once more, you decide to throw in the towel for good.

It’s sad when a dream dies. And more often than not, it dies far too soon.

If you don’t believe me, just ask those around you whether or not they’re creative–or what the last creative thing they’ve done was.

Most will say they’re not creative at all.

Many will actually try to convince you how not-creative they are.

And the majority haven’t worked on something creative in years.

Why? Because creativity is what’s linked to dreams, to the imagination, to exploration.

Why do people give up on their dreams?

1. They fear being judged by those they care about for failing.

2. They give others the power to influence their decisions.

3. They fail once–and never try again.

4. They only see the failure, not the lesson.

5. They don’t learn how to discipline themselves.

6. They care more about the end result, not the process.

7. They don’t believe in themselves

8. They surround themselves with people who are a negative influence.

9. They decide that people won’t understand their dream–and give up.

10. They’d rather be misunderstood than wrong.

11. They don’t have a guaranteed path to achieve success.

12. They would rather settle for short-term rewards.

13. They refuse to pivot and adjust.

14. They get bored.

15. They lose belief in themselves.

These tough learning moments are too much to handle. They stop seeing themselves as a work-in-progress and start to accept that they’ve failed.

As a result, they give up.

And their dream suddenly disappears.