How to Stop Self Sabotaging and Step Into Your Future Self

Your future self needs you to start paying attention.  The things you are doing today, right now, are shaping your future.  You’re either doing things to help your future self or things that are detrimental.  If you want to achieve your goals and living your desired dream life, then it’s time to learn how to stop self sabotaging your future self.

Limiting Beliefs

Maybe you have a goal for yourself or an image of what your dream life looks like.  But, for whatever reason, you’re holding yourself back from achieving it.  Perhaps that’s because a part of you doesn’t believe it’s possible for you.  You may have an underlying limiting belief that’s holding you back.  This is what’s keeping you stuck and preventing you from taking action.  The key is to identify the root cause of what’s actually stopping you from getting from where you are to where you want so that you can achieve your goals and live your dream life.

Comfort Zone

Sometimes that boils down to self sabotage because your mind wants to keep you safe within your comfort zone of what you already know.  Stepping outside of your comfort zone or doing something different could cause all of that to come crashing down so your brain marks it as unsafe.  Anything new that’s outside of your comfort zone becomes scary.  Yet, that’s where you achieve your goals.  It’s not within your comfort zone.  It’s doing the things outside of your comfort zone that make progress towards your goals and get you to where you want to be.

Future Visualization

If you were to imagine your future self, who has already achieved your goal, get clear on what that exactly looks and feels like for you.  See where you are, who you’re with, what you’re doing, etc.  Get a crystal clear picture of that desired outcome.  Then, bring yourself back to the present and notice any feelings that come up for you.  Maybe that’s self doubt, feeling stressed or anxious about not having enough time, money, or resources to make that future image happen.  Try and determine any thoughts or feelings that are stopping you from taking action towards this desired future you visualized.

Your Future Self

Next, step into your strong future self and begin taking action from that vantage point.  If you knew your success was inevitable and you would not fail, ask yourself what would you do.  Maybe you’d take a few more risks and finally step outside your comfort zone.  Perhaps you’d prioritize working on your goals because you can see just how amazing life will be when you actually achieve it.  Your future self is determined.  Your future self has courage and confidence that you need to pull from right now.  Embody how your future self would act, feel, and do right now in order to achieve your goals.

Pay Attention

Then, it’s time to pay attention.  Notice any feelings of self doubt, fear, or worry that would keep you confined within your comfort zone.  When you recognize the thoughts, feelings, and beliefs that stop you in your tracks from taking action towards your goals, you can avoid falling into a self sabotage pattern.  Instead, you can choose to take action from your future self.  Remember what your future self would do in this moment if your success was inevitable.  Pay attention to where you are acting from.  If this is your fearful current self or your future self who trusts and believes that you’ll successfully turn your dreams into reality.

Safe

If you started taking action from your future self today, you wouldn’t have to shy away from a challenge or use procrastination or other escape tactics to make yourself feel safe.  You would feel safe knowing that your success was going to happen.  Your brain’s main job is to make you feel safe.  If your future self knew that everything would work out fine, then there is nothing to fear or worry about.  It feels safe.  Tricking your mind into believing that you got this isn’t really a trick at all.  It’s trusting that you have the ability to figure things out, just as you have so far.  Stepping outside your comfort zone and trying something new isn’t unsafe.  It’s where your future lies.  You have to remind yourself that you are safe and that you can do difficult things which may feel a bit uncomfortable.  But, uncomfortable is not unsafe.  It’s growth, a challenge, and an opportunity to expand your comfort zone so that you can achieve your future dream life.  Remind yourself that your future dream life is safe, but getting there may feel uncomfortable sometimes.

You are the only one preventing yourself from achieving your goals.  It’s not someone else, time, money, resources, etc.  If you want something bad enough, you will find a way to make it happen.  That means getting strategic and fighting for what you want.  Not recoiling into protection mechanisms and self sabotaging to keep you safe within your comfort zone.  Instead, you push for what you want and take bold action from your future self that knows your dream life is inevitable.  You keep taking action through the discomfort.  A little bit of discomfort means you’re stepping outside your comfort zone.  That is what’s going to get you closer to your goals and future dream life.

Take Action Challenge

The Future Self Shift

This week, your goal is simple, to start acting from your future self today.

Step 1: Meet Your Future Self

Take 5 minutes and ask:

• Who is the version of you that has already achieved your goal?
• How does your future self think, act, and make decisions?
• What does your future self no longer tolerate?

Write down 3–5 traits of your future self.

Step 2: Catch the Self-Sabotage

Throughout your day, notice when you:

• Procrastinate
• Overthink
• Avoid something important
• Tell yourself “I can’t”

Instead, pause and ask yourself if this is your current self or your future self?

This awareness will break the pattern.

Step 3: Make One Future Self Decision Daily

Each day, choose one moment to act as your future self would.

Examples:

• Start before you feel ready
• Do the difficult thing first
• Speak up
• Follow through

It doesn’t have to be perfect, just aligned with who and where you want to be in the future.

Step 4: Reinforce Safety

When fear comes up, remind yourself and say out loud:

• I am safe to grow.
• I can handle this.
• I will figure it out.

Your brain wants safety so give it reassurance, not the ability to retreat to your comfort zone.

Your future isn’t created by what you hope happens.  It’s created by who you decide to be today.  Begin acting like your future self right now!