8 Signs of Self Sabotage
Self-sabotaging behaviors or thoughts keep you away from what you really desire most in life. It's your internal voice trying to protect you, prevent pain and deal with the fear of failure.
If you've been pursuing the same health and fitness goals for years, with no tangible results - you may be self-sabotaging! Sometimes, all we need to do to achieve our goals is to get out of our own way. The 8 behaviours below are examples of how you could be sabotaging your own success. Do any of these sound familiar?
1 - Putting yourself down
If you keep telling yourself that you're "no good at exercising," or that you "can't lose weight no matter how hard you try," eventually you'll believe it. At that point, you'll be able to justify quitting because what's the point? You're never going to get the results anyway? This type of thinking will stop progress dead in its tracks.
2 - Procrastination
Do you suddenly find that Netflix is more appealing an hour before your training session? Do you often have to order takeaways or grab some food out and about because you don't feel like cooking? We're all guilty of procrastination. Usually it's because we're trying to avoid doing something because we feel negatively about it. What are you trying to avoid? Can you change your attitude about it so it seems more appealing? Positivity trumps procrastination.
3 - Giving up when things aren't perfect
Do you find that you quit as soon as things don't go entirely to plan? Mistakes, setbacks and failures happen. Don't let one small mistake become an excuse for a day of bad decisions.
4 - You don't make your health a priority
People often say they're too busy to exercise. Most of the time, they've simply failed to plan correctly. Most of us spend time on our smartphones, watching TV and consuming various other forms of entertainment media everyday. If you really want a health and fitness result, find the time to exercise! This same logic applies to nutrition, sleep and recovery.
“Remember this - Whilst blaming others might help you avoid responsibility over the short term. Ultimately, you will be the one who has to live with the results of your actions, or lack thereof.”
5 - You compare yourself to others
In today's day and age, it's easy to find someone who is: stronger, faster, thinner, richer or better looking than you think you are. All you have to do is jump online - a quick search will lead you to mountains of evidence that confirms your inferiority if you let it. Remember - most of the stuff we see online is a false representation of reality. Don't compare your everyday reality to someone else's cherry picked, edited snapshot of a single moment in time.
6 - Trying to do it all alone
Refusal to accept help from others will put a ceiling on your health and fitness results. Getting fit is hard! Sometimes, we need advice about training, nutrition or recovery; at other times, we just need someone to encourage and support us. Don't be afraid to rely on your friends and offer them the same help when they need it! Health is as much about community and relationships as food and exercise.
7 - Fear of failure
Although we know on a rational level that failure is a part of life, and thus inevitable, we still fear it emotionally. If you let the fear of failure stop you from taking action and trying new things, you’ll miss out on opportunities to grow. Don't let the fear of failure stop you from trying a new sport or activity, joining a gym, or taking a healthier approach to your diet.
8 - You blame others
It's easy to blame others when you slip up. You can rationalise a multitude of sins this way:
That workout you skipped - your colleagues fault, they didn't pull their weight and you had to stay late.
The junk food you ate - Partners fault, they just felt like pizza and you couldn't say no.
Your awful hangover - Friends fault, they guilted you into coming out!
The problem is, when we think this way we outsource our responsibility to others. Remember this - Whilst blaming others might help you avoid responsibility over the short term. Ultimately, you will be the one who has to live with the results of your actions, or lack thereof.