What’s the meaning of the word “sabotage?” It means disruption, damage and harm.
Every time we repeat a harmful experience, we sabotage the chance for a better and more rewarding life. For many people, the key lesson is to become aware of the decisions they make, and break free from fears that might sabotage their chance for a better life.
Fear of the unknown
This kind of fear is widely spread among all of us. It doesn’t matter what kind of job we do or how much money we have, fear of the unknown will keep us stuck and stifled.
This is probably the number one reason we stay in jobs we dislike or unsatisfying relationships. In other words, we settle for less. We become experts in dealing with our life when it is full of chaos and crisis.
I found that questioning ourselves for five minutes once a week can bring a lot of clarity into our lives.
Do I like how and where I live? Do I like the person I live with? Do I like my job? Do I like myself?
Now, here is the trick: complete honesty is required, no excuses, no one to blame. If the answer to all your questions is yes, then continue on your path of success and happiness. If you answer no to any of the questions, you have work to do, the action is definitely required.
Fear of failure
Another one I often see among my clients, which I have also experienced myself, is a fear of failure. This kind of fear could be related to perfectionism. They are associating perfectionism with having a clean and tidy home, a perfect family and everything running smoothly.
When I mention that perhaps they are waiting for the perfect time when everything is aligned and there are no challenges to do the things they are supposed to do, even if they don’t feel like doing them, it’s like a lightbulb comes on in their head and they say: “Oh yes, I do that! That’s me.”
Fear of success
There are more than a few of us with a fear of success. Because it sounds a little strange, people will deny fearing success. Being successful means more responsibilities to yourself, more commitment to your family, your work, or your community. All these wonderful concepts might be a little bit uncomfortable for the people who tend to sabotage themselves.
Many people rely on others to make decisions for them about their life if they are not necessarily pleased with their situation, feeling stuck and unproductive, thinking at least life is predictable and familiar.
I have discovered that women are more likely to have a fear of success because we will still have the responsibility of work, family and finances. We call this Superwoman Syndrome.
Ranka Burzan owns a professional organizing company based in Powell River and has written several books on reducing clutter and becoming more organized. For information, go to solutionsorganizing.com.
