Striving for perfection, exploring your options, working under pressure, and being in control. These all sound like the traits of someone who wants to achieve their goals. However, they also have the potential to derail them. To determine if you’re sabotaging yourself, consider these traits that sound positive on the surface but may have negative implications in the long term:
Thriving Under Pressure
- Some of us work well when we’re under the pressure of a deadline
- While this can be a positive trait in an emergency, it’s a form of self-sabotage if you use it as a crutch to trigger focus
- Waiting to start action is unproductive. It sets you up to believe that you can only achieve by putting things off
Striving for Excellence
- Wanting to do something perfectly can be a great thing
- However, striving for perfection can lead to becoming a perfectionist
- Perfection is rarely achieved in any environment, and striving for it creates an impossible standard and self-critical outlook
What to Do If You Recognize Yourself
- The first step is acknowledging that you are self-sabotaging
- Pay attention to the negative thoughts or voices in your head and decide if they’re causing you to not do something, decide if it’s a helpful response or not, and plan accordingly
Thoroughly Exploring Your Options
- Over-thinking can sabotage the process instead of supporting it
- You are over-focusing and creating self-doubt
- Look at every aspect of every aspect and gather all of the information you may need, but do not stop researching until you reach certainty
Being in Control
- Staying in control and never being caught off guard sound great, but they can lead to becoming fearful of situations when you’re not in control
- People who feel unprepared may avoid situations which reinforce their anxiety
- Limit their exposure and engagement in their social and work life
