Stop Sabotaging Your Success

We all have days when it seems like everyone is out to get us, but for some, the real enemy is the person we see in the mirror every day.

Whether you know it or not, you might be the one standing in your way of achieving goals or moving forward toward the things you want out of life. Once you recognize these behaviors, you can work toward overcoming them and staying on track toward success.

Break Out of the Comfort Zone

One way that some of us self-sabotage is by only doing what feels comfortable rather than breaking outside of that box and trying new things. It’s easy to do — we’re all busy and, to some degree, want to take the path of least resistance. Also, keeping the status quo means that you are less likely to fail and encounter the feelings that come with it.

However, having that mindset all the time can prevent you from moving forward and lead to a feeling of self-loathing over time. The longer you stay in one place, the more likely you are to go from not wanting to move forward to feeling like you are not worthy of such change. Self-doubt breeds more resistance to change and a vicious cycle begins.

If this sounds familiar, be mindful of opportunities you have to take small steps toward change. You should not expect to leave your comfort zone overnight, but you can make incremental progress and gain self-confidence as you begin to see success.

Learn How to Say No

Another way we sabotage ourselves is by overcommitting because we’re afraid to say no. This can happen at work, at home, or in the community. Either way, you become stressed and run down as a result and lose sight of what you really want in light of satisfying others’ needs.

The best way to combat this behavior is to prioritize your obligations and determine what’s most important to you. Write it down, post it somewhere, or keep it in your phone so you can easily reference it when other requests come in.

A lot of us equate saying no with being mean, but this is not the case! It’s absolutely possible to politely decline a request in a way that won’t hurt anyone’s feelings or prevent you from helping that person again in the future.