Sabotaging Yourself?

jeffraider · #1 05-31-2006, 01:43 AM

Is it possible to subconsciously try to hamper your own success?

Sometimes I feel like that's what I do, in poker and in many other aspects in my life.

I've got many problems, including personal debt and being overweight. I desperately want to solve both of these problems, and being the kind of person that I am, I've poured incredible amounts of research and study into learning how best to lose weight and get my head back above water financially.

Basically despite the fact that I know the correct move for me to succeed in my struggles, I just can't seem to listen to myself. For example, I know for a fact there are certain things I can add to or elminate from my morning routine to set me up to eat right and exercise properly, but morning after morning I find myself just blowing it. I get up and next thing I know I'm sitting at my computer, and while I desperately want to lose weight and do stuff to help myself it's almost like I don't mind screwing myself over.

Similar deal in poker, sometimes I'll know that I'm making a terrible play but just can't stop myself. Playing SNGs made it very easy for me to curb this and I basically never make a outright bad play in a SNG, but I've been dabbling with NL cash recently and there are TONS of opportunities for me to let myself screw up.

I've heard that some people's subconcious wants them to fail or something like that. Could that be in my case? How can I help myself? Is there anything to Affirmations or that kind of thing?

Full Metal · #2 05-31-2006, 01:45 AM

I'm told I sabotage myself and that I am self destructive. That I don't motivate myself to do things when I am fully capable or purposely don't do things which are fully in my grasp. However, I think it's laziness w/o focus and ultimately short term priorities.

jschaud · #3 05-31-2006, 02:29 AM

how old are you? i used to always screw myself up when i was younger. jeez, college is still a blur from some of the things i did.

TimM · #4 05-31-2006, 05:15 AM

[ QUOTE ]
I've heard that some people's subconcious wants them to fail or something like that.

[/ QUOTE ]

Maybe what you subconsciously fear is change. Even change that is presumably positive opens you up to new possibilities of pain as well. But at some point you have to realize you aren't going to live forever. I know this is not exactly a positive message, but it's reality and maybe it will provide some motivation.

I know it has for me. In the last few years I have lost 80 pounds, and plan on losing about 30 more before I hit 40 in September. I also paid off 30K in credit card debt. I can assure you these things are worth doing, so perhaps if you just recognize what you're afraid of, and how silly it is, you can overcome it.

shemp · #5 05-31-2006, 05:23 AM

Maybe you should consider seeing a shrink? You mention common problems, and you'll probably get plenty of good and some not so good advice in here, but if you want to understand yourself better, maybe that is the way to go.