How to Stop Self-Sabotaging Your Business Success

“Our biggest enemy is our own self-doubt.  We really can achieve extraordinary things in our lives.  But we sabotage our greatness because of our fear.” – Robin Sharma

What is self-sabotage?

Self-sabotage is when we think or do things that prevent us from reaching our goals and this can take form in all aspects of our lives.  Here’s a couple of examples:

- You want to lose weight and be healthy, but you secretly eat a lot of junk food or make up excuses to not work out.
- You started an online business and really want to grow it, but you don’t want to post online or do live videos.
- You want to become financially stable, but you constantly spend money on things that you know that you shouldn’t. 
- You have a ton of great ideas for your business but can’t seem to follow through with any of them.
- You’re upset because you really need more clients for your business but you’re really not putting effort into putting yourself out there.
- Something really good is taking place in your life and you find a way to make it bad.  

These actions keep you away from what you truly want in life and sometimes we’re aware of them and sometimes we’re not.  Sound familiar?

Once you start recognizing these self-sabotaging behaviors, then you can start taking small steps to change them so that you can finally reach your goals and have success in your life and business!

WHY do we even self-sabotage in the first place?

1.  You get comfortable with your current situation
In order to make progress in your life and your business, you have to step outside of your comfort zone.  Learn to start being uncomfortable regularly!!  About a year ago I was terrified to do live videos, but I knew that I needed to do this to help grow my business.  I had every excuse in the book (I know, I know…)  But I was able to recognize this and then made to a commitment to myself that I was going to do weekly live trainings no matter what.  It felt uncomfortable to me because I had never done it before, and the silly thing is that I was a teacher for 10 years!  I used to get up, speak, and teach in front of groups of 20-30 students at least 5 times a day.  When I look back now, it seems so silly and I’m glad that I finally pushed myself out of my comfort zone.  I do weekly live trainings in my Facebook group, Freedom Living Female Entrepreneurs and now it’s honestly no big deal AT ALL!! 

2.   You don’t believe you’re good enough
Have you ever heard of imposter syndrome?  People that experience imposter syndrome feel as though they are frauds and are not worthy of their achievements and success.  When you constantly tell yourself negative statements like this you will start believing them and acting upon them.  Remember that everybody is at different places in their lives and businesses and that’s totally okay!  You ARE good enough and there are people out there that really need your help.  So, if you’re starting something for the first time, give yourself some grace and know that it won’t be perfect the first time around. 

3.  We fear success
When your business actually starts picking up and things are going well you might start questioning yourself.  Am I really worthy of this?  Am I capable of taking myself to the next level?  Many entrepreneurs struggle with this and can actually start doing things to diminish their success.  Self-doubt starts to creep in and then the next thing you know, you’re moving backward.  

4.  We fear failure
This is probably one of the most common themes of self-sabotage.  I’ve been here before and many of my clients have, too!  You’re scared to put yourself out there because of what others might think.  You don’t want to look or sound silly.  The women that I work with that have been the most successful are scared to fail but take massive action anyways.  One common phrase that I use a lot with my personal coaching clients is, “Failure is not an option.”  If you’re one of my clients I’ve probably said this to you plenty of times!  When you place failure as one of your options, then you have an excuse for yourself to not do something.  There’s no failing; there’s only learning.  

Signs of self-sabotage:

1.  Procrastination
You have major goals that you want to hit and instead, you put them off or you create excuses as to why you’re not working on them.  This is a sign that you either fear failure or change and you’re trying to avoid it. 

2.  Disorganization
If you’re super disorganized and scatter-brained, you can easily get frustrated and overwhelmed and not get done what you’re supposed to do.  

3.  Negative self-talk
You tell yourself things like:

            - It hasn’t worked in the past so why will it now

            - This is not good enough

            - I’m not good enough

            - People won’t like what I have to say anyways

4.  Perfectionism
You’re always waiting for the ‘right time’ to do something.  Next week I’ll start doing this or next month… Once my website is completely finished, then I’ll launch my business!

5.  You’re not seeing the results you want
Maybe you’ve been doing the same thing over and over and you haven’t seen the results that you’re looking for.  Sometimes if you make a small tweak to something like your messaging, nailing your ideal client, or showing up more consistently, then things will start to change.  I see a lot of entrepreneurs that are doing a lot of busy work behind the scenes planning and consuming but not taking action to put themselves out there.  

8 Ways to Overcome Self-Sabotage

1.  Recognize your specific self-sabotaging actions
I highly recommend taking some quiet time to reflect on what exactly you have and have not been doing in terms of the goals that you have.  Try writing down 3 things that are in your way of reaching your goal.  The first step to start making a positive change is to recognize what these patterns are!  

2.  Turn negative self-talk into positive self-talk
This does take practice.  When you find yourself thinking something negative, immediately turn that statement into a positive one.  Focus on all of the things that you are good at and what you’ve actually achieved.  Try creating your own mantra or your own positive affirmations that you can regularly repeat to yourself.  You become what you believe!!

3.  Pick an idea and stick with it
Many entrepreneurs quit way too early because they didn’t see the results they wanted in a short period of time.  Follow through with your idea indefinitely.  If you want to create a business that is sustainable for a long period of time, then you’ll need to pick one idea and master it.  

4.  Find an accountability partner
Find another business buddy that you can do regular check-ins with to help hold each other accountable.  Sometimes being an entrepreneur can be a very lonely experience.  You might also have family and friends that don’t totally understand what you’re doing.  There are plenty of women in Facebook groups and online communities that you can start connecting with.  That’s why I created my Facebook group, Freedom Living Female Entrepreneurs!  

5.  Set a schedule
If you’re terrified of doing lives, then put on your calendar that you’re going to go live every week and stick with it.  Once you get into a regular habit of doing something, it’s not going to seem like a big deal.  Create your own visibility plan to ensure that you are getting out there and seen.  I specialize in helping my coaching clients create a visibility plan and if you are struggling with this, please check out my 2-Hour Intensive that I have called Your Unique Visibility Plan.

6.  Stop over-analyzing
Done is better than perfect!  Many times, when you over-analyze, you waste time and don’t end up putting things out there because they’re not perfect enough – sound familiar?  Stop it!  If you’re creating a course, for example, set hard deadlines for yourself as to when you are completing certain objectives.  Better yet, hire a Business Coach to help hold you accountable.  

7.  Separate yourself from your business
It’s very common for entrepreneurs to hold a high emotional connection with their business.  But when your emotions are running your business and your decision-making process, that’s not good.  I work with my clients on separating themselves emotionally from their business so that they can start getting sh** done!  Think about this for a second.  If you were working for a different company and your boss told you to complete A, B, and C, you would complete A, B, and C so that you could get a good review and not be fired, right?  It’s the same for your business.  

8.  Visualize your success
Think about how you want both yourself and your business to look in the future and really try to imagine yourself in that place now.  This will help you focus more on your long-term goals and motivate you to want to get there.  I’ve done this for both of my businesses and cannot believe that I’m actually living out my vision!  How does a successful CEO run their day?  What characteristics do they possess?  Now, apply that to your life.  

It’s time to stop these self-defeating behaviors that are holding you back from success!  If you’re struggling, then I’m here to help.  I help high-achieving female entrepreneurs scale their businesses to 5-figure months without feeling overwhelmed.  If that sounds like you, then what are you waiting for?!  

Join the waitlist to work together!