Consider times in your life when you set a goal to achieve that was important to you, but in some way you sabotaged yourself, put obstacles in the way, or in general made things more difficult.

I recently experienced this situation when it came to my health. I completed some medical tests and the results showed some items that were “out of healthy range”. The doctor suggested I come back in five weeks to do a follow-up test. During those five weeks, for some reason, I over-consumed foods that I know are best for me to avoid.

The follow-up tests, unsurprisingly, showed my results had indeed worsened. This led to the doctor wanting me to do additional tests. At that point, I looked back at my decisions during those five weeks and said to myself, “something needs to change”.

I made a commitment to take responsibility for my health, my behaviors, and for following my gut instinct that said there was something else I needed to eliminate – even though the doctor said it was not having an impact on my current test results. Another five weeks passed during which I eliminated the wrong foods, stopped using a particular medication, and implemented some other changes based on recommendations from trusted sources. At the end of those five weeks, I was getting some of those same tests done for a session with an alternative practitioner. The result? Voila – virtually all of the numbers returned to normal range, including some with the best outcome in two years.

The lesson for me was that when I commit to an outcome and take responsibility for myself by taking responsible action or by deflecting responsibility through self-sabotage, I can create a result – either way.

The question became – what result do I want?

Now ask yourself the same question:

  • In what areas of your life do you need to take more personal responsibility?
  • Are there ways in which you not taking responsibility by practicing the “art of self-sabotage or self-bullying?
  • Do you find yourself committing to take action and then not following through?
  • When a goal you are working towards seems out of reach, do you commit to moving forward or make up a multitude of excuses about why you cannot achieve it?
  • Is there an area of your life where you know exactly what you need to do but tend to do the exact opposite?

What is your true commitment to yourself? What are you willing to do in order to take responsible action to work towards that commitment?  If you aren’t willing to be responsible for your own outcomes, what stops you?

If you see there are areas where you can be more responsible, where you are practicing self-sabotage, lack follow-through, have a multitude of excuses, or do the opposite of what you know is needed, please contact me. Let’s discuss options for transformational coaching to support you in taking on more self-responsibility to reach the goals you really want to achieve.

© 2022, Systems of Change, LLC