Adjusting Course After a Bout of Self-Sabotage

So, I missed a really big goal this week.

 

For three and half months, I was taking focused action steps towards my fitness goal, which included a certain amount of weight loss.

 

At the beginning of April, I was halfway to my goal, with half still to reach by May 1.

 

I didn’t hit it.

 

Instead, I hit a road bump and allowed self-sabotage to take over for a few weeks. I used a few days of a head cold drive me to continued excuses to not take the focused steps I had previously taken.

 

I let my fear of actually hitting my goal derail me.

 

Because, in the end, that’s what’s behind self-sabotage – fear of the result we’re striving for. I was afraid to hit my goal because I feared I wouldn’t be able to sustain the result. Because I was afraid of what others would think if I did hit the goal. I didn’t want to be a failure, but I didn’t want to be seen as “showing off” for having achieved the goal.

 

So, here I am, four days after my goal date, still halfway to it. And I’ve learned a lot about myself as a result.

 

I’ve adjusted my course, taking a new look at what my goal was really telling me. What was I truly trying to achieve? Is the goal still really important to me? Why am I afraid of achieving it?

 

In the end, I realized that the goal is very important to me – not for vanity reasons, but for genuine health reasons. And I’ve learned that I can maintain my success, as long as I go about achieving my goal in a way that’s different from the way that I’ve approached similar goals in the past.

 

I’ve spent the last few days focused on reframing my thoughts and fears, identifying what works and what doesn’t, and sketching out, in my head, what maintaining success looks like for me. I’m letting go of my fear of my own self talk and the story I tell myself in my head of what others will think about me.

 

It’s time to move forward, to continue taking those action steps, and achieve the goals I set out to achieve.

 

And it’s time for you to do the same.

 

Take time to reframe your thoughts and assess where you’re at. Really, truly figure out if you’re self-sabotaging your goals and dreams because of fear – of both success and failure.