Of course, you wouldn’t do obvious things such as being late for scheduled calls, you wouldn’t promote a product or service and then not deliver, you wouldn’t agree to be on a podcast or give a presentation and then not showing up.
When you take a closer look, you might be surprised to discover some habits, behaviors and perspectives that are unknowingly sabotaging your success. The result? You’re stuck in a rut and incapable of moving toward your goals. If you want to be the She-EO of your business and your life and make success happen, you’ll want to become aware of these success saboteurs and take 100 percent responsibility for making the changes that will give you the success you dreamed of when you started your business.
You can stop being your success saboteur.
Here are five saboteurs that you’ll want to eradicate immediately and the inspired action you can take to achieve the results you want.
Listening to your gremlins
You’re not the only one with voices in your head – you know the ones I’m talking about – the voices that tell you you’re not good enough or smart enough or fill-in-the-blank enough. I call these voices my gremlins. Gremlins lock you in and keep you stuck under the guise of keeping you safe and protected from failure.
This means they also hold you back from discovering your full potential and stepping into your uniqueness with confidence and courage.
Inspired action: Acknowledge the gremlins and understand that they aren’t bad…, they’re fear-based. Thank them for looking out for you and, with confidence, tell them their fears will no longer govern your beliefs, decisions and actions. Then tune them out and tune into a different internal voice – the voice of your biggest fan, your cheerleader – the one that says, “I believe in you! Go for it! Yes, you can!”
Focusing on setbacks
It’s disappointing when things don’t always work out the way you’d hoped or planned. When your focus remains on what didn’t work, you can’t see the things that might be worth pursuing, that will give you different results. Much like those pesky gremlins, fear of failure will keep you stuck in a negative frame of mind.
Inspired action: Accept the disappointment, feel it and then you can set aside those feelings and move on. It could be as simple as talking it through with a trusted friend or mentor. Another approach is to write down your feelings by hand and then putting the paper in the shredder. The symbolic gesture can actually be a powerful practice that frees up energy to welcome positive thoughts and feelings. Once you do so, you’ll gain the perspective of seeing failure as a step toward success. Failure is only a failure when you fail to learn from it. Seek and understand the hidden lesson and move forward.
Ignoring your successes
It’s nearly impossible to stay motivated and creating and building the business you dream of if you don’t acknowledge the success that has brought you to today. Motivation can be the most difficult part of being a She-EO, a heart-centered entrepreneur whose dream is to have a positive impact. Acknowledging your successes, however big or small, will keep you looking forward to what’s ahead.
Inspired action: Celebrate, record and share your achievements. Did you finish that huge project a day before deadline? Celebrate by doing the happy dance! Did you complete your strategic plan for 2019? Celebrate by sharing it with a friend or mentor! Were you successful in meeting your goal of engaging in self-care each day this week? Celebrate by putting a gold star on your bathroom mirror. And, absolutely positively, using your favorite color, make note of each accomplishment in your calendar. Then at the end of the week, or month, you can look back and see at a glance how successful you are!
Seeing only the struggle
No matter what you’re trying to achieve, there will be challenges, obstacles and deterrents. If you choose to see only the struggle, you’re in for a tough road.
Inspired action: Accept that you will encounter obstacles and work to better yourself by changing how you perceive them. What you view first as an obstacle could reveal a chance to increase your knowledge base, develop a technical skill or make new contacts. Sharing how you shifted your perspective could be a powerful story for you to share the next time you’re interviewed.
Tasks replace your dream
Life gets busy – especially for the She-EO who’s managing a business, a family and a household. There’s no end to the list of things that need doing. The question is: are the endless tasks distracting you from attaining what you truly want? If you aren’t consciously taking daily steps toward making your dream business, dream life and dream lifestyle a reality, then you’ll never achieve your dreams because your time is consumed by tasks.
Inspired action: Use your dream as your true north, your guide and make decisions from where you want to be, not where you are. Visualize yourself in the moment after you’ve consistently achieved the results you want, the success you dream of, being strong and confident with the positive impact you’re having in your world – however big or small. What belief, decision or action do you need to make today to become more of who you are, your ideal-future self? Make a list of the tasks that your ideal future self requires a “yes” and also list what current tasks should be a “no.” When you have that clarity, it becomes super easy to make decisions that honor your dreams and desires.
It’s your turn to stop sabotaging your success by stepping into inspired action.
I believe in you! Go for it! Yes, you can!
