How To Overcome Self-Sabotaging Behaviors That Prevent Success

Signs Of Self-Sabotaging Behaviors That Prevent Success

Whatever you want to achieve, there are some common problems that could derail your plans if you’re not mindful of them: self-sabotaging behaviors. In this article, you'll discover what they are and how to overcome them.

Have you ever done something that caused big problems for you and seemed to be in direct opposition to what you thought you wanted? Like consistently shown up late for work even though your boss warned that you were treading on thin ice? Or perhaps you kept feeling compelled to eat junk food even though you were trying to lose weight and get in shape?

Why do we do these things? You would think that setting a goal and creating a plan would be enough to get us where we want to go, right? Not necessarily.

Sometimes our subconscious minds can work against us, even if we consciously believe we want something. There are many possible reasons why we do this, but they most often involve a fear or an ingrained habit.

Take a look at these behaviors and ask yourself whether they have ever derailed your plans:

Procrastination:

If you've ever found yourself holding back on doing something even though you kept telling yourself you really wanted to do it, you were procrastinating. You may have felt drawn to watch endless hours of television, or felt compelled to suddenly clean out your basement, or caused dramatic episodes with friends and family members for no apparent reason – all so you wouldn't have to work on your goals.

Related : Goal To Stop Procrastination – 5 Simple And Effective Tips On How To Overcome Procrastination

You were trying to distract yourself. Why? Believe it or not, procrastination usually has little to do with laziness and more to do with avoidance. Most often, you are trying to avoid an underlying fear or resistance that you don't feel ready to handle.

Ingrained habits:

No matter how fired up you are about your goals, your old, ingrained habits can seem as solid as concrete. The biggest mistake we often make is underestimating the amount of energy and effort that will be required when we first start making changes. We're used to doing things a certain way and if we try to change those comfortable old routines, we feel nervous and out of place.

In order to become comfortable with new habits, you need to stick with them long enough so that they become second nature. Remember, that's how you got comfortable where you are – even if it's not exactly where you want to be.

An incredible amount of focus and willpower may be needed in order to change your old habits, but eventually they will become as solid as concrete too. Habits That Can Absolutely Transform Your Productivity into success

Learn to recognize the signs of self-sabotage:

The greatest gift you can give yourself is self-awareness. The subconscious nature of self-sabotage is what makes it so difficult to recognize, but with enough honest introspection you will begin to understand yourself better. When you do, you will be able to tell when you are working in opposition to your goals. You'll be able to tell when you feel fearful and hesitant about stepping out of your comfort zones. You'll recognize avoidance behaviors and take steps to turn them around immediately.

You may think it sounds too easy, but it really IS simple. You just have to be willing to pay attention, overcome fear and continue along the path to success – no matter what it takes.

How Do You Stop Being Self-Sabotaging ?

How well are you taking care of yourself?  Do you take time for yourself, or are there so many distractions in your life that you’re last on the list of your busy schedule?

If we’re not taking time for ourselves, it’s difficult for us to be giving love to someone else because we run out of energy.  If there’s nothing left for us, there sure isn’t going to be anything left for anyone else!

Getting to the root of why you’re not taking time for yourself is the first step in changing your behavior.  If we really value ourselves, we find the time to do what's important to us.  But that can be challenging when we have so many other influences pulling on our time and energy.  It can be easy to fall into self-sabotage.

Overcoming self-sabotaging habits is critical, so you can start investing your energy in creating the relationship of your dreams and living a life of love.

If it feels like you’re stuck in some old habits and you’re having a difficult time moving forward, take some time to work through the following:

1.  Are you carrying any emotional baggage from the past?  Are there patterns you keep repeating in your life or relationships?  Is there something from your past that's still unresolved and keeping you stuck?  Very often it can be hard to see these things for ourselves, but I've found journaling and meditation to be wonderful avenues to discovering what's still unresolved emotional baggage from the past.  Working with a coach or energy therapist can also help bring these issues to light. 

2.  Do you have limiting beliefs or inner conflict around what you can actually create in your life?  This can be huge.  Often we are completely unaware of how we are limiting ourselves simply because we haven't thought about it.  Do you really believe you deserve to have the life you desire?  Or do all kinds of limiting beliefs rise to the surface when you think about it?  Writing down these thoughts as they come up and looking at them on paper can help you get clear of what may be holding you back unconsciously.

3.  Make your list of pros and cons about incorporating those great new habits you want into your life.  Okay, this is the fun part.  Write down all the reasons you want to change an old, bad habit and what will happen if you do.  Then go back and write down what will happen if you don't.  Usually if our "why" is big enough, we'll find the time and energy to invest in ourselves in a positive way.  Whether that be incorporating a new exercise program, taking time to journal or meditate, or just eating better, when we really remember and focus our attention on how great we'll feel when we do the things to take care of ourselves, it's easier to start following through.

Final Thoughts 

Overcoming self-sabotage can be challenging if we let our unresolved stuff from the past keep us stuck. But once you discover what was holding you back, you can move on to creating new and wonderful habits for yourself that will support you in living the life you desire and attracting the love of your life.

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Habits That Can Absolutely Transform Your Productivity into success