Beliefs and Self-Sabotage: How Our Thoughts Can Hold Us Back

Have you ever wondered why, despite your best efforts, success slips through your fingers?

The answer may lie in your subconscious mind.

Subconscious beliefs, often formed early in life and reinforced over time, significantly impact our behavior and decisions. ?

Today, we are exploring how the subconscious mind influences our behavior, for better or worse. ?

We’ll examine how our subconscious tries to keep us safe and comfortable, dive into a detailed example to see it in action, and finish with some practical strategies to rewire our subconscious mind.

Let’s jump in!

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How Our Subconscious Sabotages Our Efforts

Our subconscious doesn’t care if we achieve goals – it’s main focus is to keep us safe and comfortable.

Take these examples:

1. Procrastination:

Fear of failure leads to delaying tasks and deadlines, despite their importance.

Example: Procrastinating on a big presentation, then using lack of time as an excuse for imperfection.

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2. Avoiding Challenges:

Fear of failure or discomfort leads to avoiding new opportunities or difficult tasks.

Example: Thinking about starting a business but never doing it to avoid potential embarrassment in case it’s not successful.

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3. Blaming Others:

Avoiding responsibility by blaming others for undesired outcomes.

Example: Not getting a promotion and blaming coworkers or the boss instead of acknowledging personal shortcomings.

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But Why Do We Do This??

It seems counterintuitive.

If we didn't believe we could succeed in:

·????? starting a business

·????? getting our dream job

·????? achieving our financial goals

·????? completing health and fitness goals

Then do we even bother trying?

Because our subconscious brain is sneaky.

Often, it hides its doubts from our conscious mind, leaving us unaware that we don’t fully believe in our ability to achieve our goals.

And if we don’t believe we can do it, then we likely won’t achieve those goals.

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Deep Dive - Our Thoughts in Action

Let’s take a deep dive into a concrete example to see how our thoughts can create our reality.

Often, self-sabotage is quite subtle!

Consider this: We're applying for a new job but subconsciously doubt our qualifications.

Here’s how this belief can manifest and hinder our efforts:

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Before Applying for the Job

1. Procrastination: ?

Negative beliefs can cause hesitation in even starting the application process. ?We might procrastinate or delay taking the first step due to fear of failure or rejection.

2. Avoiding Opportunities: ?

We may subconsciously avoid applying for jobs that seem challenging or prestigious, limiting ourselves to positions we feel are "safe" but not fulfilling or growth-promoting.

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?? If we believe, “Heck yeah - I can totally do this!” - we might be more likely to pursue the application with zest and not hesitate to go after the big opportunities.

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During the Application Process

1. Undermining Application Quality: ?

Negative beliefs can lead to a lack of confidence, resulting in a poorly crafted resume or cover letter. ?It can be very subtle.? We might use less assertive language, or fail to highlight our strengths and achievements effectively.

2. Half-Hearted Effort: ?

Believing we are not good enough can result in a lackluster effort when applying. ?This might mean not following up on applications, not preparing thoroughly for interviews, or not seeking networking opportunities.

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?? With a more positive mindset, we might double and triple check our application and make the extra effort to follow-up, prepare and network in a way that might help put us in a better position to get the job.

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Interview Performance

1. Nervousness: ?

The belief that we are not good enough can cause significant anxiety, resulting in nervousness and affecting our ability to communicate effectively and confidently.

2. Negative Self-Talk: ?

Internal self-doubt can diminish enthusiasm and energy, leading to a poor impression and difficulty answering questions convincingly because we don’t believe in our abilities.

3. Body Language: ?

Subconscious beliefs can affect body language, resulting in poor eye contact, slouched posture, or fidgeting, which interviewers may perceive negatively.

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?? With a more positive mindset, we might totally nail that interview with confidence and positive, anabolic energy.

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Post-Interview and Follow-Up

1. Negative Interpretation: ?

After the interview, we might interpret any neutral or unclear feedback negatively, reinforcing your belief that we are not good enough.

2. Lack of Persistence: ?

We might not follow up appropriately after the interview due to fear of rejection or feeling that it’s pointless because we assume we won’t get the job.

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?? With a more positive mindset, we may feel more confident in the post-interview period and therefore be more likely to follow-up and continue to express our interest in getting the job.

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After Receiving Feedback

1. Reinforcing Beliefs: ?

If we don’t get the job, instead of viewing it as an opportunity to learn and improve, we might see it as confirmation that really, we weren’t good enough. ?This reinforces the cycle of self-doubt and self-sabotage.

2. Avoiding Future Opportunities: ?

Repeated negative experiences can lead to a reluctance to apply for future opportunities, trapping us in a cycle of self-sabotage and unfulfilled potential.

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?? With a more positive mindset, even setbacks won’t hold us back.? Instead, we may focus on learning from the process and applying that towards the next big opportunity.

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“Our thoughts create our reality – where we put our focus is the direction we tend to go.” Peter McWilliams

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Our subconscious can be subtle when it sabotages our efforts.? So how can we re-write that script?? Read on for some practical strategies to train our subconscious for a more empowered outlook.

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Practical Tips to Empower Our Subconscious Mind

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1. Positive Affirmations:

Regularly repeat positive affirmations to yourself. ?This practice helps reprogram our subconscious mind to focus on our strengths and potential.

Example: ?"I am capable and confident in achieving my goals."

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2. Visualization:

Spend a few minutes each day visualizing your goals as if they are already achieved. ?This is one of my favorite techniques!? This can help align our subconscious mind with our conscious desires.

Example: ?Visualize yourself succeeding in a presentation or project.

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3. Self-Reflection:

Regularly reflect on your thoughts and behaviors to identify self-sabotaging patterns. By challenging and reframing these thoughts, we can better support our goals.

Example: ?If you notice a fear of failure, remind yourself of past successes and the lessons learned from failures.

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Concluding Remarks

Our subconscious thoughts strongly influence the reality that we create for ourselves. Because our subconscious mind often hides doubts from our conscious awareness, we can often unknowingly self-sabotage our goals and efforts. ?

Recognizing these hidden thoughts allows us to proactively reshape our mindset and behavior.

By incorporating practical strategies, we can align our subconscious thoughts with our conscious goals.

If our thoughts create our reality, then focusing on positive, empowering beliefs, can steer our lives towards the success we desire.

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