The word ‘sabotage’ has a great history. It comes from the French word ‘sabot’, which means ‘wooden shoe’. During the industrial revolution workers in France put their wooden shoes in the machines, to bring them to a grinding hold, as protest against the work conditions. This act therefore was called sabotage.
Success often generates envy, and we use to think that this might be the biggest enemy when successful. Though I think that we have the biggest enemy within us! We are sabotaging our own success!
How? Everyone has his/her own favorite way to do it. Some don’t think that they are not worth the success they are experiencing, so they start to perform badly. This reinforces the assumption that the work is crap, so they are not worth the success. Others start to indulge in alcohol, sugar/fat food, drugs or anything that numbs your feelings, so you don’t have to deal with any insecurity.
My favorite way to sabotage my own success lies in romantic ideas. When I reach some success, I start to think that I’ve entered paradise and that everything will sort it out without me doing anything. I don’t have to do my best anymore, I don’t need any precautions anymore. That is when I start to feel a victim of my own success, which will decline automatically. The opposite of feeling a victim, is feeling to be in control, to gain back leadership about your life.
A better way to deal with success is lead-ing of your own life, including the success. Even paradise can only be enjoyed if you take leadership on yourself, if you take care of yourself, if you are present with heart, body and soul. That way you can prevent throwing a ‘sabot’ into the machinery of your own success.