What is the Purpose of Self Sabotage?

The purpose of self-sabotage is to teach us how to live a balanced, creative life. Self-sabotage tips life out of balance. A life out of balance generates more self-sabotage. It becomes a downward spiral that can be difficult to change. Personal freedoms are restricted, and we feel stuck as a result. Creative blocks seem to be the norm.

There are many ways to self- sabotage.

But.

Is it always self-sabotage? How many times have you made a “mistake” and then later, you’ve realised it was a blessing in disguise? Self-sabotage may be a matter of perspective. We may think, feel or believe we’re guilty of self-sabotage, but sometimes, in order to find out what works, we have to learn what doesn’t work. It can be a process of elimination, and where mistakes provide feedback, rather than pure self-sabotage.

There are many ways to find out what works for you. Depending on which way you look at the following list, here are 100 ways to self-sabotage, or 100 lessons to help us learn how to bring life back into balance.

1. Too much responsibility
2. Not enough responsibility
3. Too much nurture
4. Not enough nurture
5. Too much bonding
6. Not enough bonding
7. Too much socialising
8. Not enough socialising
9. Too much time
10. Not enough time
11. Too many personal boundaries
12. Not enough personal boundaries
13. Too much space
14. Not enough space
15. Too much rest
16. Not enough rest
17. Too much play
18. Not enough play
19. Too much work
20. Not enough work
21. Too much giving
22. Not enough giving
23. Too much receiving
24. Not enough receiving
25. Too much value
26. Not enough value
27. Too much creativity
28. Not enough creativity
29. Too much intimacy
30. Not enough intimacy
31. Too many sensations
32. Not enough sensations
33. Too much self-worth
34. Not enough self-worth
35. Too much integrity
36. Not enough integrity
37. Too much ego
38. Not enough ego
39. Too much action
40. Not enough action
41. Too much honour
42. Not enough honour
43. Too much honesty
44. Not enough honesty
45. Too many assumptions
46. Not enough assumptions
47. Too many expectations
48. Not enough expectations
49. Too much drive
50. Not enough drive
51. Too much love
52. Not enough love
53. Too much trust
54. Not enough trust
55. Too much emotion
56. Not enough emotion
57. Too many choices
58. Not enough choices
59. Too much faith
60. Not enough faith
61. Too much judgement
62. Not enough judgement
63. Too much mercy
64. Not enough mercy
65. Too much thinking
66. Not enough thinking
67. Too much learning
68. Not enough learning
69. Too much belief
70. Not enough belief
71. Too many intuitions
72. Not enough intuitions
73. Too much imagination
74. Not enough imagination
75. Too much positivity
76. Not enough positivity
77. Too much surrender
78. Not enough surrender
79. Too much humility
80. Not enough humility
81. Too much help
82. Not enough help
83. Too much teaching
84. Not enough teaching
85. Too much knowledge
86. Not enough knowledge
87. Too much power
88. Not enough power
89. Too much isolation
90. Not enough isolation
91. Too many limits
92. Not enough limits
93. Too much joy
94. Not enough joy
95. Too much gratitude
96. Not enough gratitude
97. Too much energy
98. Not enough energy
99. Too much freedom
100. Not enough freedom

Extremes are necessary. For the most part, they’re meant to be temporary. Extremes of excess or deficiency may be required until a healthy balance is returned. It costs a lot of personal energy to dwell in the land of “too much” for too long. It also costs a lot of personal energy if we don’t stay in the land of “too much” for long enough.

We have to master the art of compensation when things get out of balance. When there is not enough money, we have to work longer or harder or concentrate more on it to bring the financial situation back into balance. When a friendship has been lacking attention for too long, then we have to pay a lot of attention to it until we bring it back to a healthy balance. An obsession or addiction to perfectionism or lack or abundance means we will attract the exact opposite in order to create a better balance. When there is not enough of something, then we have to apply too much until we bring it back to balance. When there is too much of something, then we have to apply less until we bring it back into balance.

Life is not meant to be stuck in extremities. Extreme behaviour imposes restrictions when it becomes a normal part of life. It hampers change for the better and restricts creativity and so we complain of feeling stuck or unable to move on. There is a certain freedom to be found in being human. The path to a balanced, creative life lies in between the extremities of the human condition. When we learn to maintain a balance between these extremes of humanness, we will find plenty of freedom to move in between. This is our opportunity to be creative.