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Why Would You Sabotage Your Own Success

Not intentionally, of course. You wouldn't do obvious things, such as showing up late (or not at all), being too casual with clients, procrastinating to the point of inaction or wearing flip-flops to meetings.

But if you take a close look, you might be surprised to discover you've picked up a few daily habits, practices and perspectives that keep you stuck in a rut and incapable of moving toward your goals. If you want to be the CEO of your life and make success happen, you first must take 100 percent responsibility for your present.

Don't be Your Own Saboteur!!

1. You listen to your gremlins.

You're not the only one with voices in your head, telling you you're not good enough or smart enough. I call these voices gremlins. Gremlins lock you in your comfort zone to keep you safe from the risk of failure. This means they also hold you back from discovering your full potential.

Do this instead: Gremlins aren’t bad. They're scared. Thank them for looking out for you, but tell them their fears are not welcome. Then shut them out. Give the megaphone to a different internal voice -- the one that says, "Go for it! You can do it! This will be amazing!”

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2. You focus on failure or setbacks and have limiting beliefs.

Things won't always work out the way you'd hoped or planned. That’s disappointing. But focusing on the things that don’t work blinds you to seeing things that might be worth pursuing. Much like those pesky gremlins, fear of failure will keep you stuck in a negative frame of mind and I call those limiting beliefs that stop you from reaching your true potential.

Do this instead: Confront your feelings so you can move past them. It could be as simple as talking it through with a trusted friend or mentor. If you're still struggling internally, consider writing your feelings by hand and then (safely) burn them. Release these negative emotions as you watch them literally go up in smoke. The symbolic gesture actually can be a powerful practice that frees up energy to welcome positive thoughts and feelings.

Another option:

You may have typical and fixed ways of perceiving yourself and the world that are limiting. When you hear a limiting belief, this can be corrected or replaced. Just as a new bad habit must be replaced with a good habit to be dissolved so must a limiting belief be replaced with a new better belief to be dissolved. These new words will reprogram the subconscious mind.

To replace a limiting belief with a new belief, do the following:

1. Write the new belief down. Words must be carefully chosen. They must be in the present tense as if they already happened and they must use positive phrasing.

2. Every day repeat this belief to oneself or write it down several times, for thirty days straight.

3. Every time you feel yourself stating the old belief, simply stop and repeat the new belief several times.

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3 You don’t celebrate success.

How can you be excited about your path if you don't acknowledge the steps you've taken along the way? Motivation can be the most difficult part of any journey. Recognizing your successes, however small, helps keep you fired up about what's ahead.

Do this instead: Celebrate and record your achievements. Did you finish that huge project a day before deadline? Celebrate! Did you assemble that Ikea desk for your new home office on your own with no leftover bits? Celebrate! Then record that success. At the very least, use a distinct colour to mark the

accomplishment in your planner or calendar so you can look back and see at a glance how incredible you are.

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4. You see struggle instead of opportunity.

No matter what you're trying to achieve, challenges are inevitable. If you choose to see only the struggle, you're in for a tough road.

Do this instead: Accept that certainty as being out of your control and work to better yourself by changing how you perceive these challenges. What you view first as an obstacle could reveal a chance to increase your knowledge base, develop a technical skill or make new contacts. You might even boost your resume in the process: The next time an interviewer asks you for an example of a time you overcame adversity, you'll be ready.

5. You focus on tasks over the big picture.

Life gets busy. You'll never run out of tasks that need doing. But are those duties helping you advance toward attaining what you truly want? If you aren’t consciously taking daily steps toward your big-picture vision, you’ll end up lost in a sea of to-do lists.

Do this instead:

Make decisions from where you want to be, not where you are. Visualize yourself in the moment after you've achieved your goal by aligning core action with your values.

What do you need to do today to become ideal-future you?

Make a list of the responsibilities that demand a "yes" and also define which tasks should be a "no." Maybe it’s “yes” to that weekend workshop or working on your side business but "no" to social media or an extra shift at the job you don't want to be doing five years from now.

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Overcoming these self-sabotaging habits is incredibly empowering. It’s not just about removing obstacles—it’s about stepping into your full potential and creating the success you deserve. By shifting your mindset, celebrating your wins, and focusing on the big picture, you take control of your path and become the CEO of your own life. If you're finding it difficult to break free from these limiting patterns on your own.

I offer services to help with tangibility, motivation, and accountability. Whether you need guidance in restructuring your mindset, setting clear goals, or staying committed to your vision, I can provide the support and tools necessary to turn your aspirations into reality. You don’t have to do this alone—together, we can transform your potential into success.

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Nikie Marie Eckardt Master Coach | Web Designer | Content Writer | SEO Specialists

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