Sabotage is a crime. Dictionaries describe it as “a deliberate destruction of property or slowing down of work with the intention of damaging a business or economic system or weakening a government or nation.”
There is a sabotage of another kind though, self-sabotage. It can be described as a deliberate or subconscious destruction or obstruction of desires, dreams and attempts to take action. It is also a crime and we commit this disparaging act against our own selves all the time.
How?
We sabotage ourselves when we pay lip service to our goals. We don't walk our talk. Instead we honour our old ways of thinking and doing things. We justify our limitations by hanging on to our misguided beliefs about our abilities and ourselves. We use our fears as excuses. We bow to the criticisms, ridicule and expectations of others. We gravitate towards toxic people. We wade in the pool of negativity. In the end, we whittle away at our courage, our confidence and the passion that burns in our hearts.
Perhaps this describes you. Have you sabotaged yourself in the past? Are you still doing it today? Are you not able to move forward with your goals, no matter how hard you try?
Fortunately we can overcome self-sabotage. The most important step towards getting rid of your self-sabotaging behavior is to recognize that it is happening. You must be conscious of your thoughts, your emotions, and your actions as you struggle with this enemy.
If you've been struggling with a certain goal and things just don't seem to be working out for you, take a look at the setbacks that were encountered and evaluate the situation. Could any of the obstacles have been avoided by making wiser choices on your part? Are there a significantly high number of obstacles that have arisen for this one particular goal?
Are you a self-saboteur? It is time to break this cycle of defeat. It is time to disarm and topple this enemy, dismantle its artillery and destroy its power over you.
Locate its seat of power.
Sabotage does not simply happen. It starts somewhere and in order to deal effectively with it we must survey the landscape upon which we stand and identify the artillery we use against ourselves.
This takes time. One way to accomplish this tactic is to regularly spend time in quiet contemplation. For example, whenever you procrastinate about doing something, anything, look for the attitudes, behaviour and feelings that come into play. What self-talk do you use to trip yourself up and halt productive moves? How do you justify your failure to act? How do you undermine your initial commitment to take certain actions?
When you know where the attacks originate, it is much easier to devise a plan to counteract the strikes. Take both offensive and defensive action. Learn the best ways to nip sabotage in the bud and devise strategies to ward off future onslaughts.
Attack at its most vulnerable point.
While self-sabotage is a common problem for many of us, we each have our unique areas where we are most vulnerable. That is the area we must target early on.
What is your favorite excuse for remaining stuck in the same old hole? What is people's usual complaint about us? It just might be that it is a trait or mindset that we are holding on to for some reason. Find it, examine it and dismantle it. Destroy all that is harmful and negative. Manipulate the positives and draft them into your service. Use them to help you in the pursuit of your goals.
Set up new rules.
All the weapons we use to sabotage ourselves will not be utterly destroyed. Many of them can be permanently immobilized. Some will be seriously wounded but will regain strength to attack another day. We can minimize their effectiveness.
- Cultivate and don spiritual, mental and emotional armor that will render assistance and protection from future attacks.
-
Replace ruinous attitudes and behaviours with a mindset of determination, persistence and driving passion for whatever you want to achieve.
-
Monitor your progress either with a written record of your successes or with the help of a trusted ally.
This is not an easy fight. Make sure that you have clear insight about the outcome you want to create. Anticipate potential setbacks and devise strategies to deal with them. Ask yourself what fears are holding you back? What lingering insecurities plague every attempt you make to move forward to a particular goal? What is stymieing your efforts? Exploring these possibilities can dramatically help you to get out of the self-sabotage rut.
A healthy spiritual life provides the foundation for erecting the walls that will support your dreams, direct your plans, strengthen your efforts and deepen your resolve to go forth in pursuit of your goals. In time, you will look back and see that you left your sabotaging ways behind. You will be thrilled to realize that the saboteur within had conceded and a happy, confident person had emerged.
"You cannot run away from weakness; you must some time fight it out or perish; and if that be so, why not now, and where you stand?" - Robert Louis Stevenson
