Have you ever blamed external events for your lack of progress, only to realize they were manifestations of your own patterns? I used to, until I experienced a massive shift in perspective. This realization is key to understanding the power move to end self-sabotage. By identifying the seven core types of self-sabotaging behavior, you can redirect your awareness, change where your energy flows, and finally get the results you want to see.
Prefer to watch? I’ve put my video below or if you’re a reader simply continue reading the post.
What is Self-Sabotage? An Illustration
So what is self-sabotage, and how do you know if you are doing it? Let’s imagine we have a person named Jack. Jack feels like he has no energy, even though he is surrounded by a big field of it. To understand why, we need to look at what Jack does with his energy and his awareness.
Jack is aware that he avoids taking the actions he knows will get him the results he wants. He does this all the time, which keeps him stuck in the same cycle. But this is just the beginning of the pattern. Let’s break down the seven ways this manifests.
The 7 Patterns of Self-Sabotaging Behavior
Self-sabotage is not a single action but a series of interconnected behaviors designed to keep you from your goals. These patterns can be subtle and difficult to identify. Is any of this feeling familiar yet?
- Misdirected Productivity: Sometimes, Jack will accomplish something quite productive. However, he focuses his productivity on tasks that do not actually get results. He chooses something that gives him a false sense of accomplishment without creating any tangible change.
- Reactive Actions: Jack will find “meaningful” things to do that are usually a reaction to something else. An external event happens, and he feels he needs to react, creating a meaningful action. It feels productive, but it still is not focused on his actual goal.
- Focusing on Distractions: Jack takes these first two patterns and creates distractions. He gives himself something to focus on so he feels like he is being productive and accomplishing things. In reality, all of that energy is focused on a distraction, creating the illusion that he is not self-sabotaging.
- The “Justified Logical”: Combining these patterns, Jack creates a very justifiable reason for his actions. I call this the “justified logical.” His reason for focusing elsewhere is logical and meaningful. This makes it very hard to break through because his reasons for staying stuck make perfect sense to him.
- Paralyzation: When his logical actions do not get results, Jack becomes fearful. He is afraid of both positive and negative outcomes because nothing seems to work. This state is absolutely paralyzing, and he often ends up just doing nothing and scrolling on his phone instead.
- The “Powerful External”: This brings about the final and most powerful self-sabotage. I call it the “powerful external.” It manifests in Jack’s reality as powerful external events that stop him from moving forward, obliterate his plans, and cancel out all his hard work. He resets back to the beginning with no energy.
- Avoidance: At the center of it all is the core behavior. Jack is aware that he is avoiding the very actions he needs to take. This cycle repeats over and over, and eventually, he ends up simply doing nothing.
The Real Power Move to End Self-Sabotage
There is something Jack can do to shift this whole pattern. He can invoke the power move of simply knowing himself. When you truly know yourself, these patterns lose their power over you.
When you know yourself, these things won’t distract you. If you know what kinds of things distract you and get you to put your focus in the wrong places, you’ll be able to spot it coming. And stay on track.
- If you know what makes you reactive, you can avoid attaching meaning to things unrelated to your goals.
- If you know how your mind logically justifies unproductive behavior, you can stay on track.
- If you know what creates paralyzing fear, you can stay focused on things that keep you in a flow state.
- If you understand that powerful external impacts are a manifestation of your internal state, you can stay on track even when things get challenging.
Ultimately, all of this requires you to be self-aware of where and why you are avoiding action.
Uncovering the Root Cause of Avoidance
So, why do we avoid creating what is good for us? Why do we end up with no energy, doing nothing? The real reason Jack does all of this is that deep down, he has an anchor in his subconscious mind that tells him he is not good enough.
When Jack feels “not good enough” or unworthy, he will avoid taking actions that bring results. He will focus on other things, justify it with logic, and end up in paralyzing fear. External events will stop him. This entire avoidant cycle is fueled by that core feeling of inadequacy. This keeps Jack in a perpetual loop where he doesn’t know himself, and the cycle continues.
My Journey from Self-Sabotage to Self-Mastery
If this cycle describes you, I understand because Jack is actually me. That was my reality a couple of years ago, when I was in a perpetual cycle of self-sabotage. Everything kept knocking me back. However, through a series of challenging events, I figured out a process to distill these seven core self-sabotages and overcome the root anchor that creates them.
I am unpacking exactly how you can put that practice in place for yourself. In the Break Free From Self Sabotage training event, we dive deep into the subconscious mind to understand the systems of consciousness that create this cycle, where they came from, and how to integrate them. This allows you to take a quantum shift and start focusing your energy on creating a life you love. I invite you to check the schedule for the next class and join me on the flip side of your next quantum shift.
