Is your business growing? Are you making strides towards the goals you have set for this year, or are you having trouble finding opportunities?
Is something holding you back in business or in life? Are you not taking advantage of the opportunities that do come your way?
These could be warning signs that you are becoming your own worst enemy.
If you (or your business) are not performing at the level you had expected; it may be that you are your own worst enemy. Crazy as this may sound, the most common reason people get held back in business is that they are engaging in self-defeating behaviors. So, how can you tell if your behavior is holding you back?
1. You Take the Emergency Exit
Do you back out of projects at the last moment? If you get this “need to bail” feeling, it may be that you are afraid to take that last step.
You may fear that it won’t work out, or worse, that it will! Some people are afraid of failure and/or rejection, or simply can’t handle disappointment.
There is a term for this and it is Executive Function Disorder. According to an article by WebMD, this condition is believed to be an offshoot of ADHD.
It’s not uncommon to run from things that scare us. Believe it or not, this is a reason why some employees sabotage themselves at work when they hear they are being considered for a promotion.
Entrepreneur wrote a more in-depth article about this type of ‘self-sabotage’. Read it here: 8 Ways to Stop Self-Sabotaging Your Success.
2. Procrastination is Your Middle Name
Putting things off often means that you are unsure about what you are doing. This is sometimes referred to as “Imposter Syndrome” as defined by Wikipedia.
Individuals with imposter syndrome credit their successes to luck. They believe their success is a result of deceiving others into thinking they are more intelligent than they see themselves.
The Center for Creative Leadership wrote a great article on how to battle Imposter Syndrome.
3. You Distract Yourself by Doing Something Else
Are you often distracted? If you worry about the outcome of one project, it’s not uncommon to throw yourself into another. This helps you keep your mind off of what worries you. It also keeps you from getting done what you need to.
This symptom could also be a sign of Executive Function Disorder and can hold you back in business.
4. What Kind of Pep Talk Are You Giving Yourself?
The final sign that you are becoming your own worst enemy is that you use negative self-talk.
We must start using positive self-talk instead. It is very easy to convince ourselves that we’re failures. Why do we do it? Because, if we tell ourselves it will not work, we eliminate the need to try in the first place!
CONCLUSION
Can you relate to any (or all) of the signs above? Any of them can have a detrimental long-term effect on you and can indeed be holding you back in business (and life). Don’t worry, you are not alone! We are experts at being our own worst enemies.
This is especially true when we are trying to accomplish something of importance. The first thing we can do is be aware that our traits are holding us back and then take steps to eliminate those traits. Your business (and your life) will thank you.
If there are other signs you’d like to add; or if you have tips on how to overcome these business-stalling behaviors, please let us know by commenting below.
With the pandemonium in the world recently, many people find themselves in turmoil.
Many of us are searching to find a comforting path.
You may find some comfort in a blog we wrote recently that outlines 5 steps to help you find mindfulness and a more spiritual path.
Read 5 Ways to Find Your Spiritual Path to learn the steps to follow.
We are all in this together. Let’s help each other become our own best friend instead of our own worst enemy!
To your continued health and success,
~Karen
Leave a Reply