Don’t Sabotage Your Success

Most people profess a desire for success and happiness. Surprisingly, it’s not uncommon for someone to sabotage their own chances for success. This usually happens subconsciously and the person is probably not even aware of it.
There are numerous reasons for this, all of which are correctable. Striving for success entails venturing out from your comfort zone. It may mean working for a promotion, going back to school, changing jobs, starting your own business, making new friends, finding the right romantic relationship, or any one of a virtually endless array of possibilities.
Regardless of how an individual defines success, they have the potential to undermine it if they are not careful. Working towards success involves a perceived risk of failure. This being the case, someone can sabotage their success through behavior that will enable them to justify why they didn’t succeed without having to admit failure.
Here are some examples. Ralph really wants to get a promotion at work. He is competent, reliable, and conscientious. His company routinely posts listings of available positions. Ralph watches the bulletin board for jobs he would like to move into.
Over the last several months, Ralph spotted three openings he was especially interested in. But he didn’t want to rush into things and apply until he was absolutely sure it was the right decision. So Ralph always waited several weeks before submitting his name.
Each time, he was too late and the job had already been filled. Each time Ralph had diminished his chances for success by procrastinating. In Ralph’s mind, he was doing everything he could to get promoted. But due to circumstances beyond his control, (someone else was selected) he couldn’t catch a break. From Ralph’s perspective, he had not failed.
Irene, in her early forty’s, wants to go back to college part time to complete her degree. It had been over twenty years since she was in school, and Irene was insecure about her ability. Each semester Irene found some “legitimate” reason not to take a class. She motivated herself by committing to start the following semester.
But each time something “unexpected” emerged, forcing Irene to once again postpone her plans. Just like Ralph, Irene sabotaged her chances for getting her degree in a manner that absolved her from blame. By never taking a class, she avoided having to face the unknown of how she would fare in school.
Jim has been divorced for about a year and wants to start dating. It had been over 15 years since he asked someone out. He’d always been shy and was afraid of being rejected. Jim spends all his free time doing things with his friends or by himself. He never became involved in any activities where he would have an opportunity to meet other singles.
Jim has also sabotaged his success. By avoiding any situation where he may fail, he eliminated any chance of success. Just like Irene and Ralph, Jim was able to justify his stagnation by pointing out how difficult it was to meet someone.
In all of the above examples, the people did not consciously or intentionally sabotage their success. Rather, they created reasons and excuses to justify not risking failure. We all have this tendency.
To avoid sabotaging your success, don’t make excuses to avoid reaching for your goals. Although it may be easier and more comfortable to eschew the unknown, the results are 100% predictable; nothing will be accomplished.
Every person who succeeded at attaining their goals had to first venture where the outcome was not guaranteed. You can accomplish virtually anything if you will simply take the first step.