Stop Self Sabotaging

stop sabotaging yourself conceptCreating change is a personal choice. For example, it is already September and soon 3rd quarter plans will be in the record books. In the last 2 weeks, did you prioritize reviewing your 90-day plan and modifying actions to finish the 3rd quarter strong?

Motivational speaker, Jim Rohn, said, “Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishments.” Dr. Darryl Cross, Fellow, Australian Psychological Society, said, “How you handle barriers is an indication of who you are as a person.” That is a strong, compelling statement. He said:

  • We know what to do – we do not do it.
  • Life rewards actions – not good intentions.
  • Avoid self-sabotage – it is a choice to follow through or not follow through.

These perspectives underpin the reasons why people fail to execute their plans. I believe the 2 most powerful words above are ‘intentions’ and ‘self-sabotage’ with the latter leading the former. Self-sabotage is a natural occurring human behavior. It is a learned survival tactic, beginning at an early age, as you experienced life and learned how to fit in. Often, we are unaware of this behavior, the different ways it shows up, and how often it is present. For example:

  • You are constantly trying to please others without regard for yourself.
  • You need to be in control of everything all the time for fear something will go wrong.
  • 90% of the time being great is not good enough, it must be perfect.

One way to recognize when you are in a self-sabotaging mode is to be aware of your emotions. Are they negative or positive? If negative emotions are swirling around you, there’s a good chance you are in a self-sabotaging state. I learned quickly these negative emotions were created by my own thoughts rather than what someone had done to me. That was a rude awakening.

My own career experience and working with clients has taught me that we trip up our careers because we do not recognize, nor deal with, our self-sabotaging behavior. While we cannot extinguish such behavior, we can help you recognize it as a key influencing barrier and manage it so that you will reach your true potential. The major benefit to you is peace, wellness, improved relationships and performance through clear-headed laser focus. We are licensed by Positive Intelligence to provide mental fitness training as part of our leadership coaching program.

Action eats intention for breakfast. Dust off your current 90-day plan and make it real. In the words of Henry David Thoreau, “What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.”