Self-sabotage involves behaviors or thoughts that keep you away from what you desire most in life. It's that internal sentiment gnawing at us, saying "you can't do this." This is really your subconscious trying to protect you, prevent pain and deal with deep-seated fear. But the result of self-sabotage is that we hesitate instead of seizing new challenges. We forgo our dreams and goals. In the end, we know we missed out, but we don't understand why.

Self-sabotage

So what can we do to stop the self-limiting behaviors? Here are eight steps you can start taking immediately to stop self-sabotaging your success. Many of us are engaged in self-destructive behaviors that have become habits. We allow these behaviors to continually <a href="https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTCS_95.htm">undermine our success </a>and happiness, but we may not even recognize that we're doing it. Self-sabotage is when we do something that gets in the way of our intent, or of our bigger dreams and goals. We want something, but somehow we never accomplish it. Why? Because somewhere deep in our subconscious we're fighting against that goal.

Here are a few common self-sabotage habits to be aware of: <ul><li><a href="https://blog.trello.com/self-sabotaging-productivity">Procrastination </a>. Instead of tackling an important project in a timely manner, you allow yourself to dawdle to the last minute. It's hard to shine when you don't give yourself time to fix mistakes or do a thorough job. Start setting deadlines and mini-deadlines to work toward your objective </li><li>Negative self-talk/negative thinking. Your inner dialogue is constantly critical. Are you chastising yourself for past mistakes? Are you constantly criticizing yourself? Be patient with yourself; be kind to yourself. Work to build yourself up. </li><li><a href="https://www.theodysseyonline.com/when-perfectionism-becomes-self-sabotage">Perfectionism </a>. You tell yourself you can't take action until the right time, or believe you need to perfect your skills before you move forward. These are forms of self-sabotage. Perfection is an impossible standard that keeps you from moving forward. </li> </ul>

Related: <a href="https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/288411">18 Destructive Habits Holding You Back From Success </a> Many of us develop unhealthy ways of coping with <a href="https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/315243">stress </a>. We repeatedly drop the ball on commitments or fail to take adequate care of ourselves, or we take our relationships for granted. We allow ourselves to react adversely to situations. But sometimes these things are so subtle that we can't see how self-sabotage is at the root of many of our problems.

Often, self-destructive habits are <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/evolution-the-self/201101/the-programming-self-sabotage-pt-3-5">rooted in our feelings </a>of self-worth. You don't feel like you deserve to be successful. You're plagued with feelings of inadequacy, even when you're trying to overcompensate by setting high goals for yourself. Some may even use self-sabotage as a twisted form of controlling their own fate.

It's better to be at the helm of your failure than having unknown circumstances blindside you. Work on identifying and acknowledging what is causing you to sabotage yourself, and then start making changes to stop those behaviors. It takes serious self-reflection to understand why you keep shooting yourself in the foot in the first place.Taking the time to peel back the issues you seem to be inflicting on yourself can lead to a deeper awareness, as well as give you insights into yourself and your underlying motivations and desires.

The most successful people are those who take the time to think through their choices, decisions and actions. Successful people learn from what worked or failed to work. They then adjust their course of action by taking a different approach. Only through self-reflection will you gain the necessary insight, perspective and understanding to begin the process of change and transformation.

8 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Self-sabotage occurs when your logical, conscious mind (the side of you that says you need to eat healthily and save money) is at odds with your subconscious mind (the side of you that stress-eats chocolate and goes on online shopping binges).

8 Ways to Stop Self-Sabotaging Your Success

Renee Shore