5 Ways You Are Sabotaging Your Own Success

Do you ever feel like you’re not getting the results you want, despite putting in a lot of effort? It’s possible that you’re sabotaging your own success without even realizing it. Self-sabotage can take many forms, and it’s important to be aware of them if you want to achieve your goals. Here are five ways you might be holding yourself back, and how to overcome them.

1. Putting Short-Term Desires Before Long-Term Success

Many people use rewards as a way to stay motivated, but sometimes those rewards can undermine their long-term goals. For example, someone who is trying to get in shape might reward themselves with a treat after a workout, even though that treat will undo some of the benefits of the exercise. Similarly, someone who is trying to save money might splurge on a purchase as soon as they save a bit of money, and end up setting themselves back. To overcome this type of self-sabotage, it’s important to choose rewards that are in line with your long-term goals. Instead of food or shopping, try treating yourself to a massage or a movie night with friends.

2. Overestimating Your Capabilities and Ability to Commit

It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of a new goal and set unrealistic expectations for yourself. However, setting unattainable goals can be demotivating and cause you to give up altogether. For example, if you haven’t exercised in a year, it’s not realistic to expect to work out for an hour every day starting next week. Instead, start with small, achievable goals that will build your confidence and momentum. For example, commit to going for a 10-minute walk every day, or doing two sets of push-ups every other day.

3. Procrastinating and Believing You’ll Do Better Tomorrow

It’s tempting to put things off and tell yourself you’ll do better tomorrow, but that usually leads to a cycle of inaction. It’s important to break that cycle by committing to taking action today, even if it’s just a small step. For example, if you’ve been putting off going to the gym, commit to going for just 20 minutes today. Once you get started, you’ll often find that it’s easier to keep going than you thought it would be.

4. Doing Things That Appear to be Productive (But Really Aren’t)

Procrastination is sneaky, and sometimes disguises itself as productivity. For example, if you’re working from home and have a deadline approaching, cleaning your house might seem productive, but it’s really just a way to avoid the work you need to do. To overcome this type of self-sabotage, it’s important to be honest with yourself about what is truly productive, and what is just a way to avoid taking action. Make a to-do list of the tasks that will move you closer to your goal, and commit to working on those tasks before allowing yourself to do anything else.

5. Lying to Yourself So Much That Your Gut Instinct Can’t be Trusted

Sometimes we lie to ourselves so much that we start to believe our own falsehoods. It’s easy to convince ourselves that we’re different from other people who struggle with the same issues, or that we’re smarter or more capable than we really are. However, this type of self-deception can be dangerous, as it leads us to make decisions based on false assumptions. To overcome this type of self-sabotage, it’s important to be honest with ourselves about our strengths and weaknesses, and to seek feedback and support from others. We can’t always trust our own gut instincts, but by seeking outside perspectives, we can get a clearer picture of what we need to do to achieve our goals.

Conclusion

Self-sabotage can take many forms, and it’s important to recognize when we’re engaging in these behaviors so that we can take steps to overcome them. By choosing rewards that are in line with our long-term goals, setting realistic expectations, taking action today instead of procrastinating, focusing on truly productive tasks, and seeking feedback from others, we can break the cycle of self-sabotage and achieve the success we desire.