Stop Sabotaging Your Success

[Today’s post is a guest post from Amy Zellmer. You can learn more about managing your entrepreneur mindset from Amy in The Wedding Business Collective.]

We all have them. Things we say to ourselves that sabotage us because we have a fear of moving forward. We purposely keep ourselves rooted in fear so that we don’t have to look at what we might actually have if we just believed in ourselves and let go. It’s natural. It’s frustrating. It’s going to keep us stuck if we’re not willing to kick it to the curb.

Some of the things you may hear yourself saying: “My client’s wouldn’t pay that much”, “I could never offer that service”, “That would never work in my profession”. Do you see how these statements are completely self-sabotaging? You are saying them, and believing them to be true. Your fear of moving forward is causing you to purposely stay stuck.

What if you changed these statements to: “My clients will happily pay me what I am worth” “I am going to offer this new service, and my audience is going to love it” “This will work great in my profession”. Even if you don’t quite entirely believe what you are saying (yet!) you will begin to see shift and changes simply by changing your phrasing. You WILL start to believe what you’re saying, because that is simply how it works!

You and only YOU are responsible for your failure or success. Once you kick fear to the curb you will SOAR!

The Consequences Of Fear

1. Breeds resistance (keep you from opportunities)
2. Insecurity (this can eat you alive)
3. Destructive behaviors (sabotages us from moving forward, freezes us in place)
4. Stifles motivation (we need motivation to move along our journey of life)
5. Stifles emotional and intellectual growth (keeps us in our comfort zone)
6. Stifles effective decision making (it’s like driving with foggy windows)
7. Stifles development of key skills (you may never grow as a professional)

6 Steps You Can Take To Start Overcoming Fear

1. Take small baby steps (do just 1 or 2 things each day)
2. Get positive motivation (seek knowledge… build your imagination… seek other people’s experiences to learn from… you’re not alone)
3. Seeing failure in a different life (change your perspective, cultivate belief in yourself)
4. Be in the now (face your fears, relax, turn off sabotaging thoughts, laugh at the fears)
5. Take risks, seek new experiences, be courageous
6. Learn how to surrender (be patient with yourself)

It’s important that we start to recognize fear, beliefs, and how they are self-sabotaging. They can be scary and overwhelming to look at, but it’s SO vital to your own sanity and your success.

My wise Life Coach, Laura Erdman-Luntz taught me these 4 things to keep in mind when going through change:

1. Know that the first step can be the hardest so make it as small as possible.  Once you get going it gets easier.
2. Know that the other side of a change is brighter, lighter, and yummier.  (I have gone through enough changes to know each is worth while!)
3. Know that you will not be perfect.  Honor the gray area in your life.  (Some days I do everything I want to do, others nothing.  I don’t see myself as on or off the bandwagon so there is no room for judgment.  I just keep going.  Each moment is a new moment and a time to begin again.)
4. Know that change is challenging and what you are asking of yourself is a lot.  Honor the work you are doing.

Now it’s your turn! Post in the comments: what are you doing to sabotage yourself? How can you turn this around and STOP doing it?!

About The Author

Amy Zellmer is a Creative Coach who lives in Saint Paul, MN with her Yorkie, Pixxie. She works with Creative Entrepreneurs who are ready to work through the issues that are holding them back and keeping them stuck. She believes that we ALL deserve as much success as we aspire to have, and she can help you get there!! Grab her free toolkit “3 Simple Strategies To Supercharge Your SUCCESS!!” at: www.mycreativebizcoach.com