What stops most people from achieving financial freedom?

People not knowing themselves well enough to know what is truly important to them. They end up wasting time and money until they figure themselves out. The sooner you figure it out, the happier you'll be

Being sick is very expensive. Lift weights and cut carbs.

Seeing that a neighbor or family member spent money on something expensive and feeling that you need to compete or keep up.

Independent of number 3, just having some sort of compulsion to buy expensive things.

A couple of good decisions in your 20's related to saving money and living below your means can make the path to financial independence in your 40's very attainable.

1-5 on this list probably all boil down to the same few behaviors/decisions. Go the right way and life is much easier with far less stress. Going the wrong way is essentially punching yourself in the face.