Out-Smart Self-Sabotage: 5 Steps To Change Subconscious Beliefs

Are you tired of getting in your own way? Perhaps you agree that if you want to get to the gym by 6am, you can't stay glued to the TV till 1am. The same is true if you have a project due at the end of the week—it’s probably a good idea to skip happy hour. Yet still, many people find themselves making decisions that don't support their goals or intentions.

First, behaviors are driven by your thoughts and emotions. Let’s say you want to lose weight but you keep eating sweets in the break room. The choice to eat the tasty snack is based on your thoughts and emotions. Your hand does not reach into the bowl on its own accord. It does not have its own brain which makes it move without your permission.

You might have a core belief that contradicts to your goal. By design, core beliefs are held in the subconscious mind just outside of conscious awareness. They act as blueprint instructions determining your choices.

Let’s say you have a goal to improve your career. Yet, plagued by learning challenges, you have the belief that you are not smart enough to accomplish what you want. These beliefs subconsciously override any desires to go for what you want. You may find you are good at the start, but seeds of doubt kick in and you decide this is just too hard and not worth the effort. Subconsciously you have already decided you are going to fail so you consciously choose not to follow through.

Given these beliefs are out of conscious awareness most people never examine them. Consequently, every time you unknowingly repeat them, you strengthen them. This is how habits are solidified.

You might have a pattern of overeating, avoiding the gym, or attracting the same types of relationships. Anytime a pattern of self-sabotage is present, the subconscious is involved. By identifying your patterns, you bring these subconscious pathways to the surface so they can be consciously observed and changed. Ask yourself: What do you believe to be true about yourself or your life in order for this pattern to exist?