Self Sabotage
Self-sabotage is at the heart of every abandoned attempt, every missed opportunity, every broken promise, and every single occasion when we have let ourselves down or not performed to our capability! It is in every unhealthy habit and relationship and every poor decision we have EVER made.
Many of our efforts at improving our success or happiness unravel. Think about it.
- Why are most New Year’s resolutions abandoned year after year?
- Why do most dieters succumb to yo-yo dieting?
- Why do we say never again after that crushing hangover only to skip to the bar once we’ve recovered?
- Why do so many of us procrastinate?
I completed a 7-week programme recently looking at positive intelligence run by the amazing coach and author Shirzad Chamine. I discovered that the reason so many of our attempts at improving our success or happiness fizzle is that we sabotage ourselves. Your mind is your best friend. But it is also your worst enemy. What I realised is that even with all my personal development and self-awareness, I had undetected “Saboteurs” in my mind that were causing cause most of my setbacks and funnily enough with my full awareness. I was wasting so much time and vital energy battling these saboteurs that I was unable to reach my goals. I have now been able to control and manage intrusive thoughts and feelings and this has has unlocked new levels of potential and drive for me as an individual.
The Saboteurs are the internal enemies. They are a set of automatic and habitual mind patterns, each with its own voice, beliefs, and assumptions that work against your best interest. Have you ever told yourself things like;?
- There is no point in starting this task as I always fail.
- If I can`t be the best, then what is the point in doing it.
- This feels to difficult and uncomfortable; I will leave it for now.
We all have these saboteurs. The question is not whether you have them, but which ones you have, and how strong they are. Do you often find that you to constantly find faults with yourself, others, and your conditions and circumstances? Our saboteurs can generate much of our anxiety, stress, anger, disappointment, shame, and guilt. Often, we mistake our saboteurs as tough-love or the voice of reason rather than the destructive Saboteur it is. I certainly recognise this voice. Do you?
Fortunately, there is an antidote to the judge and saboteur which is known as our Sage. Your Sage lives in an entirely different region of your brain and handles challenges in ways that produce positive emotions like curiosity, empathy, creativity, calm, and focussed action. All of which helps you to perform better and feel happier. Tapping into my sage has helped me immensely in reaching my true potential and generally approaching life with a much brighter and more positive perspective. Over the coming weeks I am going to introduce you to the different saboteurs. I will also and show you how to not only identify yours but also the tools and techniques to overcome them.