Self sabotage as a creative person, whatever your arm may be, hinders your career opportunities, not to be your self-confidence.
Maybe the phrase “Oh, I’ll get that done tomorrow!” speak true to your heart.
Then suddenly 3 weeks go by and the same thing is still on your very ( long…) never ending list of things you’ll get to tomorrow?
For me, as a creative, this hits way too close to home.
Then the oh too familiar guilt of not half finishing that project, not writing the post, starts to sting and make me doubt my abilities.
Thoughts like:
- Maybe I’m just not cut out for this…
- All my projects aren’t working out the way I want it too…
- Am I really a creative person?
- Why does it feel like I take one step forward and then 10 steps back?
- I never finish anything!!
Self-sabotage isn’t always a conscious act, but it sure take control of our lives pretty quickly if we let it.
Thankfully as a creative who has gone through ( many) trial and errors, ups and downs, in my career, I have laid out the top 3 ways I’ve learned to overcome creative self sabotage.
1. PRACTICE SELF LOVE
When you love yourself, you show up for your craft every day because you don’t hold yourself back from the opportunities and development you could gain by not pushing things off for another day.
And the thing is… a lot of the times we don’t even realize we are holding ourselves back!
That’s why practicing self love is so important.
Because with it we will never let ourselves get lost in chaos of the day, doing just enough to get by.
But how do we truly practice self love?
- Be kind to yourself ( good rule of thumb: speak to yourself as you want others to speak to you!)
- Don’t put emotions on the backburner. What’s troubling you?What things do you feel like you keep failing at and why?
- Whether you choose your outlet to be journaling out your thoughts, therapy sessions, or venting to a friend, how do you release backed up emotions? Energy stores itself in the body, and we need to release it to avoid stress and prioritize well being.
- Self-caring to the max! Know your limits ( when does your social / energy clock start to go down?), speak up for yourself ( know the difference between being kind and being nice, kind is from the heart, nice has the habit of being agreeable), putting your mental and physical first ( you’re less likely to self sabotage if your well-being is always shining bright!)
2. Mindfulness
“Nothing is worth more than this day. You cannot relive yesterday. Tomorrow is still beyond your reach.”
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Think about one of your cherished most favorite memories you hold close to heart.
Now consider what were you thinking about at that very moment?
Were you caught up in the glory of the moment, or was your mind wrapped in the future or past? You see, when we lead a conscious lifestyle, mindful of each moment, we don’t have the time to sit and ponder about all self-critical thoughts about work, or what you’ll get done in the future. You’re too caught up in the now!
Mindfulness will never have time for self-sabotage.
3. Change the meaning
For example:
- painting as a way to express emotions vs something you have to do because you’re an artist…)
- working on your creative business as a means to be independent / vs. something boring you have to do in order to make money one day.