10 Ways You Could Be Sabotaging Your Own Success (And How To Stop)
Ever catch yourself hesitating over something you know you’re capable of, or replaying a conversation long after it’s ended, dissecting everything you said?
Maybe you've felt like you’re constantly over-preparing or striving for perfection, only to end up paralysed by indecision. Maybe sometimes you feel like you’re the only one not quite measuring up, even though all evidence suggests otherwise.
These aren’t just isolated quirks of personality - they’re often the work of our inner critic, a voice so ingrained in our thinking that we barely even notice its presence. And while it’s meant to keep us safe, it can easily become a barrier to your growth, holding you back from seizing the opportunities that are right in front of you.
You’re not alone if this sounds all too familiar.
Many successful, self-aware people still struggle with this voice, even when they feel they’ve 'done the work' in terms of personal growth and development.
The problem isn’t that you’re not capable (although that's often what the Inner Critic will tell you!) - it’s that this internal monologue is quietly running the show below the radar of conscious awareness, sneaking about behind the scenes - and pushing you into behaviours and patterns that sabotage your progress.
But here’s the good news: the inner critic can be managed, reigned in, and reshaped - so that instead of holding you back, it becomes a useful tool for awareness, caution, and growth.
In this post, we’ll dive into 10 ways your inner critic could be sabotaging your success and, more importantly, how you can start changing the narrative.
1. Perfectionism
You might have an inner critic that demands everything be flawless before you can move forward. Having high standards is one thing (and a GOOD thing!) - but when that inner critic gets involved, it can keep you stuck for far too long - second-guessing every detail and fearing the fallout from mistakes, instead of taking action. This can keep you spinning in circles while everyone else is making progress, as nothing ever feels quite 'good enough.'
2. Fear of Being 'Found Out' (Imposter Syndrome)
It's not uncommon to feel like a fraud despite your success - waiting for everyone to see through your 'act' and catch you out. This is very often compounded by the fact we feel we have to put on an act in the first place - giving ourselves the impossible challenge of living 'up' to someone we're not and never will be! This can lead your inner critic to constantly question whether you truly deserve your achievements - and keeps you from embracing the full potential of your REAL capabilities, holding you back from opportunities that could propel you forward - if only you were able to be open to them.
3. Guilt and Shame
When mistakes happen, instead of learning from them, the inner critic LOVES to amplify feelings of guilt and shame - turning what could be a growth opportunity into a spiral of self-blame and unworthiness. This can mean we exhaust ourselves emotionally, reinforcing the whole cycle and preventing ourselves from ever building the confidence to move forward positively in spite of the little bumps in the road.
4. Procrastination & Self-Sabotaging Cycles
That voice in your head can often cause you to procrastinate, delay, or subtly sabotage your efforts and end up stuck repeating unhelpful behaviour loops over and over - without you even realising it. For example, you might start something important feeling confident, excited and like THIS time is going to be the one - only to back out when you're just on the cusp of a breakthrough (otherwise known in our world as the 'Upper Limit problem', thanks to the author Gay Hendricks). Our inner critic can be scared of success as much as failure - and it's an expert at digging its heels in without you noticing!
5. Overthinking Every Decision
Your inner critic convinces you that EVERY choice must be meticulously analysed before you can move forward. It's a lot like perfectionism, in many ways - but this time it's about fear of making the wrong decision, in case it backfires. 'Analysis paralysis' is a commonly used term and great way to think about it, because it literally IS your brain in freeze mode - if you don't move, the angry bear can't get you! But it can lead to difficulty committing to ANY decision - leading to missed opportunities, stagnation and even adversely affecting our relationships.
6. Negative Self-Talk
Whether it’s calling yourself 'lazy', 'stupid', or 'undeserving' - that self-critical inner dialogue becomes a constant companion. This can erode self-worth and confidence hugely, making you doubt your abilities even when the evidence says otherwise, and often closing you off to other, more positive possibilities and outcomes.
7. Comparing Yourself to Others
The overactive Inner Critic absolutely thrives on comparison as a way to stick the needle in - constantly measuring your achievements, appearance, or success against others. And it never looks very deeply, or fairly - tending to compare the BEST of them against the worst of you - leaving you feeling inadequate and keeping you from being able to acknowledge and enjoy your own strengths and accomplishments, regardless of how well you’re doing in reality.
8. Difficulty Accepting Praise
Even when you do notice that you've achieved something noteworthy, an overbearing Inner Critic will tend to minimise it - making you feel like you don’t deserve the recognition. You do - but it's got all sorts of reasons and excuses to hand to back up its arguments - like calling you arrogant or big-headed, for example. If you've noticed that whenever people offer praise, you deflect or downplay it, or don't FEEL truly worthy despite accepting it... chances are, you've got an overactive Inner Critic at work.
9. Fear of Negative Feedback
Ever felt the sting of criticism, even when it's constructive and well-founded? Instead of viewing criticism as an opportunity to improve, our Inner Critic can makes any feedback feel like an attack; dragging up old feelings and wounds from the past along the way, so that the feedback feels overly personal, emotional, and undermines our confidence. Sometimes this can cause us to avoid feedback altogether, and leave a trail of 'almost done' projects in our wake - we never actually complete and deliver, just in case it goes wrong and we end up feeling negatively judged. Obviously this can present huge problems in our work - and often gives us another reason to feel bad about ourselves!
10. Reluctance to Take Risks
Taking risks, whether in your career or personal life, feels incredibly daunting when your Inner Critic is loud. It tells you that any risk is too big, that you’ll fail, that others are more capable - and more often than not, that there's no point even trying. This keeps you feeling unfulfilled, avoiding challenges that could lead to personal and professional growth - and of course, leaves you exactly where you are which in itself isn't always ideal or risk-free.
So as you may have gathered, that Inner Critic is one sneaky and unsupportive part of our emotional landscape - doubly so, because it often masquerades as 'rational thinking' or self-improvement and convinces us it's on our side!
If you’ve recognised even a few of these patterns in yourself, however, there’s a good chance it’s time to do something about it. Change doesn’t come from pushing the inner critic away or ignoring it; it comes from understanding where it’s rooted, why it’s there, and how to transform it into a more constructive voice.
Imagine what it would feel like to take action on those big ideas, without being paralysed by fear of failure or self-doubt.
What if you could move forward without constantly second-guessing yourself? This isn’t just possible - it’s absolutely within your reach.
And YES, before your Inner Critic tells you otherwise - you do have what it takes to tackle it and find a better way.
That’s exactly what we’ll explore in my upcoming masterclass, How to Overcome the Inner Critic.
During this session, you’ll not only learn the deeper reasons behind why your inner critic has such a strong hold - you’ll also walk away with actionable tools to quieten it when it starts to become destructive.
You’ll gain deeper insights into your personal sabotage patterns and learn how to cultivate a mindset and support structure that allows you to finally step into enjoying and living like the successful person you are.
This isn’t about surface-level advice - it’s about equipping you with a transformative approach to rewrite the inner dialogue that’s been holding you back. If you're ready to stop sabotaging your success and start moving forward with confidence, I’d love for you to join me.
Spaces are limited, because I want to ensure that this deep-dive experience is as impactful as possible - and that means I'm making space available immediately afterwards, so I can answer your questions personally and privately, if you prefer.
Find out more by clicking the link below - and take the first step toward quieting that critic for good.
P.S. PSSST….
The masterclass is £35… but the recording will be available completely FREE for my Living Journal®️ subscribers!
Want to join us and get access - to this AND more - for just £7 per month?