Why We Hold Ourselves Back When We Know We’re Capable of More

Posted November 7, 2026 by Julie S. in Blog Tours, Blogging Guests / 0 Comments

Title: You Are Capable of More: A No-Excuses Guide to Becoming Your Best Self

Book Details

Title: You Are Capable of More: A No-Excuses Guide to Becoming Your Best Self

Author: Chris Sund

Publisher: Game Changer Publishing

Release date: August 13, 2026

Genre: Nonfiction, self-help, personal development

Formats: Paperback, hardcover and ebook

Series: Standalone

Recognition: Winner, How-To category, 2026 Paris Book Festival. Must Read, Reedsy Discovery.

Blurb

Most people don’t fail because they lack talent. They fail because they stopped believing in what was possible for them. In You Are Capable of More, keynote speaker and executive Chris Sund delivers a direct and empowering wake-up call: it is time to stop settling for less and start taking ownership of your life.

Through personal stories, hard-earned lessons, and actionable frameworks, Sund exposes how excuses, fear, self-doubt, and comfort sabotage your potential. This isn’t a book about becoming perfect. It’s a blueprint for becoming better, giving you the tools to scale your leadership, strengthen your mindset, deepen your relationships, and pursue a bigger vision.

Inside, you will discover how to:

Shatter the invisible ceilings holding back your career and life.
Eliminate the subtle excuses that masquerade as practicality.
Cultivate the daily discipline that outlasts temporary motivation.

Beneath the surface, you possess more resilience, more strength, and more capability than life has ever demanded of you. It’s time to stop waiting. Because you are capable of more.

Buy Links

All retailers: books2read.com/YouAreCapableOfMore

Barnes & Noble: barnesandnoble.com

Bookshop.org: bookshop.org

Goodreads: goodreads.com

You Are Capable of More: A No-Excuses Guide to Becoming Your Best Self

$19.99
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Why We Hold Ourselves Back When We Know We’re Capable of More

By Chris Sund, author of You Are Capable of More

Most of us carry a quiet feeling that we could be doing more with our lives. It might be a goal we keep moving to next year, a habit we keep meaning to start, or a dream we have not said out loud in a long time. We know it is there, and we tell ourselves we will get to it when life slows down a little.

For my book, I surveyed more than 200 working adults, and 92% said they believe they are capable of more than they are doing right now. Their responses helped me understand the gap between wanting something and acting on it. Self-doubt, fear of failure, busyness, comfort, and a lack of clarity kept showing up. Here are four ways those barriers can appear in everyday life, along with practical steps to start moving past them.

1. Self-Doubt and the Fear of Failing

Self-doubt was the barrier people named most often, and 85% said they second-guess themselves because of their inner voice. That doubt can quickly turn into fear of failure. Before we even try, we start imagining what could go wrong and what others might think.

Early in my career, I was promoted to shift supervisor at a restaurant, and some of the people I was suddenly leading had been there longer than I had. I had worked hard for that role, but I still remember wondering whether I was really the right person for it. One of my managers handed me John Maxwell’s The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, and it helped me see that nobody expected me to have every answer on the first day. I just needed to keep learning and earn people’s trust one shift at a time.

Feeling unsure does not automatically mean you are unqualified. Sometimes you need more preparation, and sometimes you need practice doing something unfamiliar. Ask yourself what you actually need to learn, then take a step that helps you learn it. You do not have to feel completely confident before you begin.

Try this:

Write down the doubt your inner voice keeps repeating, then write what you would say to a good friend who said it about themselves.
Ask yourself, “What is the smallest version of this I could try this week?” so the stakes feel manageable.
Keep a short list of things you were once nervous to do and did anyway, and read it when the doubt gets loud.

2. Being Too Busy

“I don’t have time” is convincing because it often feels true. Work, family, and everyday responsibilities can fill a week before we make room for something we have wanted to do for years.

When I lost my dad, it changed how I thought about time. He helped watch my boys when they were little and taught me so much about being a father. His death reminded me that we can keep saying “later” without knowing how much later we have. I started looking more carefully at whether the way I spent my time reflected the people and priorities I said mattered most.

Try this:

Look at one ordinary week and find a single 20-minute pocket you could give to your goal.
Protect that time the way you would protect a doctor’s appointment.
Let one smaller thing go to make room for it.

3. Getting Too Comfortable

Comfort is not a bad thing. Most of us worked hard to get there. The trouble begins when protecting what feels familiar keeps us from pursuing something that matters to us. That is what I call a comfort ceiling: the point where staying comfortable starts limiting our growth.

Looking back, many of the biggest steps in my career began when someone saw something in me and asked me to take on an unfamiliar responsibility. I could have stayed with work I already knew how to do. Instead, I had to ask questions, make mistakes, and learn while others were counting on me. Those experiences helped me grow because they required more of me than my familiar routine did.

Try this:

Notice where you have started saying “it’s fine” about something you once wanted more from.
Choose one thing each week that feels a little outside your comfort zone.
Think of an opportunity you have been avoiding. Write down what concerns you, then separate the practical problems you can address from the discomfort of trying something new.

4. Not Knowing Where to Start

Sometimes we know the direction we want to go but have not defined what starting looks like. “Get healthier,” “change careers,” and “be a better parent” all matter, but none tells us exactly what to do next. A goal becomes easier to act on when we turn it into something specific enough to put on the calendar.

Try this:

Choose one goal that matters to you right now.
Name one action you can complete this week, such as taking a walk after dinner, updating your résumé, or setting aside time with your child.
Decide when you will do it and how you will know you followed through.

Where to Begin

You do not have to work on all four barriers at once. Think about something you have been putting off and ask yourself what is getting in the way. Are you afraid you will fail? Is your calendar full? Have you grown comfortable? Or have you never decided what the first step should be?

If you are unsure, the free Untapped Potential Quiz can help you identify where to begin.

Then choose one action you can take this week and give it a place on your calendar. Keep it small enough to follow through. Each time you keep a promise to yourself, you give yourself another reason to trust that you can take the next step.

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About the Author

Chris Sund is a keynote speaker and the author of You Are Capable of More: A No-Excuses Guide to Becoming Your Best Self, winner of the How-To category at the 2026 Paris Book Festival. He writes for Forbes and Inc. He is President and COO of Uniti Med and GQR Healthcare, COO of Nebula, and founder of Amplify Speakers. He lives in Fremont, Nebraska, with his wife, Courtney, and their three sons.