Who’s Really Holding You Back?

We all hit roadblocks. Moments when progress feels impossible and frustration takes over. It's easy, even natural, to look outward. To point the finger at a job, a boss, a circumstance, or even someone close to us. But before we settle into blame, there’s a much harder question we need to ask:

Who’s really holding you back?

It might not be who you think.
Sometimes, the biggest obstacle to our growth is us.

It’s a hard truth, but it’s also a freeing one. Because the moment we stop giving others control over our outcomes, we start taking responsibility for them. If your first instinct is to blame someone else, pause and ask yourself this: Why am I giving them that much power over my life?

That’s not strength.
That’s surrender.

At The Girl Dad Initiative, we talk a lot about what it means to lead our daughters well. But leadership starts with leading ourselves. That’s what true ownership looks like. It means realizing this: even when someone else causes the pain, if you continue to allow it to define your path, then you’re playing a role too.

This isn’t about guilt. It’s about clarity.
It’s about deciding that your future, and the example you set, won’t be dictated by blame, bitterness, or barriers.

Because here’s what matters most. Your daughter is watching.

She’s learning how to respond when life doesn’t go her way.
She’s learning whether growth comes from excuses or from action.
She’s learning what real resilience looks like.

When we model blame, we pass on powerlessness.
When we model ownership, we pass on strength.

Growth begins when we stop blaming and start leading. And that leadership has to begin with ourselves.

This kind of reflection takes courage. But it also creates clarity. Because the same man who might be holding himself back is the one who can decide to move forward.

For his own sake.
For his daughter’s future.

Don’t wait for someone else to change the story.
Be the man who writes a new one.