By Coach Gloria Manchester, ICF-ACC
Have you ever sabotaged yourself where you instantly recognized what you did?
I recall this one day in my life, about 25 years ago, when I was driving down the 55 freeway in Orange County, CA, in my beautiful, almost new, leased Firebird, and traffic was in gridlock. We would move a little, pick up speed, then boom, we’d be stopped again. If you have ever driven on any Southern California freeway during rush hour, you know exactly what I mean.
In a single moment, the vehicle in front of me stopped suddenly as I was looking down at my CD player popping in one of my favorite songs, Willie Nelson singing “Always on my Mind“. In that one regretful moment, cars started moving and when the truck in front of me suddenly stopped again, bang … I plowed my Pontiac Firebird into his vehicle and the woman behind me plowed into the rear of my car. There I was in a three-car crash, on the freeway, with gridlock all around. I had a serious neck injury! The woman behind me was also injured. The stress I had been experiencing in my life over my negative financial situation, suddenly flashed through my mind. I was in despair! This situation felt like another major sabotage, not unlike many others I had previously created.
It took some time before the ambulance and police could get to the scene, so while I was still softly playing Willie’s CD, I suddenly turned my anger at what had just happened, onto myself. I started banging on the steering wheel and crying out “what is wrong with me?” And yes, “why me God? I’m a talented hard-working woman and leader.” Since this was before air bags, I was injured; my car was totaled and I was broke … but still alive. I absolutely know what it’s like to lose all the possessions I had worked so hard to acquire. I vowed this would never happen again.
What is self-sabotage? It is an unconscious subversion, disruption, or obstruction to hinder our own cause or endeavor. We consciously have a desired outcome but we work against ourselves unconsciously.
Suffering is optional!
I have produced a workshop called From Self-Sabotage to Self-Acceptance and it will be launched on the LEAP to Prosperity FREE Virtual Summit for Women coming September 23, 2020. If you pre-register, you’ll receive a bonus called A Woman’s Journey to Prosperity: Transforming Your Life, Emotionally, Physically, Relationally & Financially.
Because I understand first-hand how you can sabotage yourself and lose everything, I committed to developing a platform for women to discover how to grow, thrive and prosper. Visit our Summit page and view information on what is a prosperity summit and who is it for? Learn about the coaches, authors and speakers and their offerings for you to begin your journey.
Gloria Manchester , ICF-ACC is a professional life & business thrive coach and a leader and influencer in personal and professional development for women.
