Doing What We Do

We’ve all done them – or at least most of us have. Those crazy things, that upon later reflection, we go, “Whew! Got lucky. Could have been a whole lot worse.” But there are other crazy little things we do that have little or nothing to do with impulsivity, thrill seeking or adventure. They are our own self-doubt, the unhealthy self-talk, the striving for perfectionism or the endless procrastination. These, too, are crazy little things that we find ourselves doing. And upon self-reflection we may go, “Aw. What the crap. Why?”

We like to think we have moved beyond them, but they still pop up occasionally – activities or in-activities that self-sabotage. May sound ridiculous, but we do these for a reason, and many times the reason is that in some way we are being served. Yup – served.

For most, fear is what is serving us. Fear of change. Fear of the unknown. Fear of failure. And yes, even fear of success. We are being ‘protected.’ And the fear-list is far and wide and extremely individualistic.

So, get curious about why you do what you do in the form of self-sabotaging. What behaviors do you exhibit? How are they helping you? How are they hurting you? Why are you doing them? And then decide what you would like to do about it. Could be you determine staying put is very appropriate right now. And that’s perfectly fine. Could be you decide it’s time to move beyond. And that’s perfectly fine. But, at least you can say you thought it through and decided on what is best for you at this very moment.