Sabotage is fun. Its a game you, me, your parents, your children, your frenemies play. We play it on “hardcore”. And we’ve all been playing it from day one.
I’m an expert saboteur. You are, too. Don’t believe me? Let’s compare some notes!
- Didn’t ask out that gal/guy you’ve been crushing on? CHECK!
- Avoids Fearful and Scary bullshit in life? CHECK!
- Stays small so you can fit in with all the beige in the world? CHECK!
- “TOO SCARY” or “TOO MUCH WORK” or “IT WON’T WORK” excuses reign on your Dream Parade? CHECK!
- You believe your powerlessness far, far more than your power, potential, and worth? CHECK!
Out of my short list, how did you compare? What would you add to it? Let’s get to know our inner saboteur and why its there.
Sabotage Is…
Deliberately interfering with an objective with the intent to prevent or thwart its achievement (that’s my own definition). Dictionary.com defines it as:
Any undermining of a cause
Sabotage Is…
Natural and part of our nature as human beings. Early in my shamanic apprenticeship, Woo-Duan introduced me to Caroline Myss’ work on archetypes. In her book, “Sacred Contracts”, she delves into the nature of the 4 primary archetypes all people possess (for more info, visit here). The Saboteur is one of the four. She explains, “This may be the most difficult of all the archetypes to understand, because its name is associated with betrayal. Yet the purpose of this archetype is not to sabotage you, but to help you learn the many ways in which you undermine yourself.”
This is where we can stop getting our asses kicked, pal. Its where the game can change for us permanently. Rather than using our victim mindset to frame the actions of our Saboteur, we use it instead to expose our fear and concerns and get engaged with problem solving, Curiosity, and exploration.
Sabotage Is…
Our secret superpower to achieving our dreams. Through its blunt and often candid exposure of our Victim, our fears, and our perception of inadequacy, it helps illuminate the path to self-actualization and integration of our genuine power and capacity. This is achieved by using our sabotage and Saboteur to prevent ourselves from Inaction, procrastination, favoring and fueling shame, and attacks on our self-image and esteem. In other words, we sabotage our fears and our low self-esteem and sense of worth. What do we sabotage all that with? LOVE, CELEBRATION, AND ACTION.
Its surprisingly simple. There is no more war between you and your Saboteur. Now when self-sabotage starts to give you “bedroom eyes”, you know what is about to get some hardcore love, celebration and positive action. For example, you have a dream. A dream to build your own business selling whats-its and whos-its. You’re daydreaming of the satisfaction you feel in its success. You get a text on your phone. It reads,
That’s right. You’re gonna run to your saboteur. Why? Because when you pull up in your sweet ride, you’re gonna notice something critical to your SUCCESS. And its all about what Saboteur is pointing out to you: YOUR FEAR, DOUBT, AND EXCUSES.
From Sabotage to Being Badass
Those fears, doubts, and whatnot your saboteur points out are the secret sauce to your life’s success burger. You now know what mental and emotional obstacles exist within you, and you can take assertive, clear action towards their resolution. To achieve resolution, use these steps:
- Acknowledge and affirm the fear you have. It is ok to feel fear. It is ok to have fearful thoughts. Its your Saboteur working for your protection and to ally your strengths in resolving the challenge.
- Write down the fears and the possible outcomes that come up for you. These catalog the fears and challenges that lead to your SUCCESS
- Write down what you need to LEARN & DO to resolve each challenge
- Write down what ACTION you will take to LEARN & DO what is required
This is how I resolve my challenges. Sometimes the learning involves hiring a coach (shameless plug for my services!), taking a class or course, studying up on a concept, and the like. Action, though, is MANDATORY. Sorry.
I challenge you to take this approach right now. What is your inner Saboteur texting you right this minute? Now go through the steps above.
If you are getting repeatedly stuck or have huge confusion, exhaustion, or pain dealing with your life, REACH OUT. Lets do a consult and see how I can help you achieve definitive results faster in your life.
Your fellow Badass,
Marshall