How to Conquer Saboteurs and Overcome Negative Thoughts
AUTHOR
Sam Bird | Lifted Metrics Founder
AUTHOR
Do you feel like there’s a part of you that is holding you back from reaching your goals?
That voice in your head, the one that’s telling you that you’re not good enough and that you don’t deserve to achieve your dreams, is a saboteur.Â
You, me, and everyone working towards personal and professional improvement have dealt with saboteurs.
The concept of saboteurs was originally brought to my attention by my mindset coach at Consistent Performance. He described a saboteur as the negative thought pattern or voice inside your head that holds you back from achieving the success that you want in life.Â
Needless to say, I was sceptical at first. But as I went through more sessions with my coach, I began to realize just how much saboteurs were holding me back from meeting my full potential.
Saboteurs are thought patterns that stem from our early childhood experiences.Â
Initially, they protect us.Â
You see, they act as our guardians to help us survive real or perceived threats to our physical and emotional safety.Â
However, as we grow older and learn more about the world around us, saboteurs become unnecessary. Yet, they remain ingrained in our subconscious and often go unnoticed.
These saboteurs influence the way we perceive and react to the world around us, acting as a lens through which we see things.Â
And we often remain unaware of the extent to which they distort our perception.
When faced with challenges, stress, or uncomfortable situations, our saboteurs become activated and we are susceptible to falling into negative, self-sabotaging behaviors that can hold us back from achieving our goals.
Saboteurs manifest as different characters, such as the Judge, the Controller, the Avoider, or the Hyper-Achiever.Â
These characters can be incredibly subtle, but they can have a profound impact on your behavior and your life.
I took the Saboteur Assessment test myself and found out that I had several saboteurs, namely the Controller and the Hyper-Achiever.Â
The Controller describes the aspect of my personality that is always trying to control everything and everyone, while the Hyper-Achiever describes the aspect that is obsessed with success and productivity.Â
These characters were holding me back from relinquishing control and enjoying the present moment, as I was always focused on the future.
Trying to tackle saboteurs on my own was tough. I learned that the best way to reframe these negative thoughts was through PQ reps.Â
PQ reps are exercises that help us shift our attention from negative
thinking to positive thinking. PQ reps require taking a breath, coming
into the present moment, and becoming aware of what you’re feeling
objectively.
When you notice negative thinking patterns, you can ask yourself,
“Is this me, or is this a saboteur speaking?”
Doing PQ reps affects your PQ score, which is the percentage that you
think positive thoughts vs. negative thoughts. The sweet spot is 75%,
which means that you think positively 75% of the time and negatively
25% of the time.Â
Since starting PQ reps, my PQ score has gone up from 63% to 70%, but
I’m determined to keep going until I reach 75%.
It’s not easy to overcome saboteurs, as they are deeply ingrained in our subconscious minds.
However, with practice and awareness, we can shift our thinking patterns to live a happier, more fulfilling life.
If you’re struggling with saboteurs, I highly recommend trying PQ Reps and seeking out a coach who can guide you through the process.
It’s not a quick fix. Rather, it’s a lifelong journey toward positive thinking and self-improvement.
Saboteurs are negative thinking patterns that can hold us back from achieving our full potential. But, PQ reps are a powerful tool that can help us shift our attention from negative to positive thoughts.
If you want to discover what Saboteurs you might have, you can take the quiz here
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