Does my Enemy look like me?

Last Tuesday night, I was lying on my sofa while listening to the song, ‘same mistake’ by James blunt. This part of the lyrics caught my attention and kept me pondering all through the night.

“so, I sent some men to fight, and one came back at dead of night, said he'd seen my enemy, said he looked just like me”

First, an enemy is generally defined as a person who is actively opposed to someone or a thing that harms or weakens something else.

I did ask myself; how could I be my own enemy? Then I realized, on many occasions, I had been my own worst enemy by my actions and inactions. I was surprised at my many forms of self-sabotage.

For example, I recalled some situations where I told myself; ‘no, I cannot’ without even trying or doing a deep assessment which obviously, I later regretted after realising the lost opportunities. ?Another example is how I avoided some risky ventures due to my fear of failing and lost out in the bounty afterwards. ?Many of us are guilty of desiring a perfect athlete’s body but struggling to ditch our late-night meals, junks, and other unhealthy intakes.

Many of us can relate with the popular idiom, once bitten twice shy. And this has deterred us from ever trying for the second time even with lessons learnt. We are clearly using our past as a weapon against ourselves.

The biggest limiting factor to our full potential is ourselves shaped by our thoughts. Most of the time in pursuit of our goals, without even realising it, we do stand in our own way.

The key to overcoming self-sabotage and breaking self-imposed obstacles is by increasing self-awareness. We can change from our own enemies to very good friends by having ‘I can’ spirit and critically analysing every situation in absolute terms.

We must clarify our goals and identify how we have stood in the way. By having the right support, motivation, and objective insights, one can get out of his own way.