3 Mindset Habits That Will Sabotage Your Progress and Results
Your mindset habits have a major impact on your progress and results. That is because your thought patterns drive your behaviour and emotions, which both have a significant impact on how you show up.
That is why identifying and creating the mindset habits that will support you in achieving the specific outcomes that matter most to you is a powerful way to set yourself up to succeed.
It is equally important to identify your current mindset habits that are self-sabotaging and work on changing them. To help you get started with that process, here are three common mindset habits to be aware of:
3 Mindset Habits That Will Sabotage Your Progress and Results
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Self-doubt and negative self-talk
What you tell yourself about who you are becomes your reality. If you tell yourself the same stories over and over that becomes what you believe about yourself. It becomes a habitual thought pattern that heavily influences your actions.
If you have a mindset habit that is rooted in self-doubt and negative self-talk you are less likely to take the actions that will achieve the progress and results you desire. Finding a way to change that helps you to get out of your own way.
What self-doubt stories and negative self-talk do you tell yourself? What impact are they having on you, your behaviour, progress, and results? What will you do to start creating a mindset habit of self-belief? What stories do you need to start telling yourself? What do you choose to believe about yourself moving forward? If you proactively work on those things, they will start to become your new mindset habits.
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Limiting beliefs
A limiting belief is something that you believe that holds you back from what you want to do, achieve, or feel.
For example, if you want to achieve a new goal or create a change in your life or work, you might tell yourself, “That is so hard and difficult I won’t be able to do it.” That is a limiting belief. Something being hard and difficult doesn’t mean you won’t be able to do it. But with that belief, you are less likely to take actions that will move you forward. You are less likely to be resilient in the face of setbacks or challenges because you believe that when it gets hard you won’t be able to do it.
If, on the other hand, your belief was “That is hard and difficult, but I will figure it out and just take the first steps,” that will likely create a different behaviour pattern that is more likely to achieve the results you desire. You are more likely to take action consistently and persistently, even in the face of setbacks and challenges.
What you believe about something will either help move you forward or hold you back. Therefore, any limiting beliefs you hold are likely to sabotage your progress and results.
Identify any limiting beliefs that you might have. How do they impact you and the results you want to achieve? Commit to dealing with any limiting beliefs you have.
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Making excuses and playing the blame game
When you have a habit of making excuses or playing the blame game, you are sabotaging your progress and results. Here’s why:
Excuses and blaming are a way of letting yourself off the hook from taking full responsibility, finding a way forward, and taking action. You are less likely to look for solutions, and that can keep you stuck.
Examples of making excuses or blaming would be things like telling yourself something like “I don’t know how,” “I don’t have enough time” or “I don’t have support from people around me.”
Those are excuses or blaming things external to yourself. It serves no useful purpose. Excuses and blame don’t create solutions and progress. That mindset habit won’t support you in moving forward. Instead, focus on fostering a habit of being solution focused.
The First Step to Stop Bad Mindset Habits Sabotaging You
The first step in any change is awareness. So if you want to make sure your mindset habits aren’t sabotaging your progress and results, take some time to identify what yours are and if they are setting you up to succeed or are holding you back. Commit to finding ways to improve your mindset habits.
Never underestimate the impact mindset habits can have on your progress and results. They have the power to set you up to succeed or sabotage you.
