Everyone needs money and we count on our family to teach us how to get that money. I was taught to work hard, earn money, save the money and to spend money on earthly pleasures. It’s a cycle of course….work, save, spend…..work, save, spend. It’s fun at first but eventually the “work” part gets the better of you. The easy road always becomes the hard road…..and the hard road always becomes the easy road.

My friend worked just as hard as me and earned about the same amount……except he was taught to work hard, earn money and then take that money and invest it wisely in real estate, short term loans for close friends and any business opportunities that came around. After about 7 years he was making much more money than I was……so I started paying closer attention to the differences in what we had learned about money as children. He was earning more and working less. That’s what I wanted and it was my views on money that was stopping me from getting there.

Once aspect of self sabotage is copying what everyone else is doing, without question or deeper analysis. Most people are told to get good grades, work hard, save and be careful with those savings. Most people are afraid to lose money in an investment (so they avoid it at all costs) but have no problems at all spending $3000 at Christmas and $10,000 on a family trip. It doesn’t mean it’s the best or easiest road to travel, just because the bigger crowd is doing it. You’re always going to be in the bigger herd or group when you work hard, struggle, save and play it safe….plus spend the saved money on big ticket items instead of investing with intelligence. It always sounds better to say, “look at my new car” as opposed to saying, “look at the $15,000 loan I just gave Frank at 12% over 3 years.” One feels good right away. One feels good down the road. Humans love the attention of the big purchase because it gives them immediate gratification…but what about thinking with your head instead of with your emotions?

The same can be said with any behavior, where the bigger group leads the herd. Most people watch TV. This means wasting time on the couch feels normal and comfortable. Most people believe junk food is a good reward or treat after a week of struggle inside the 8-6 grind. Most people stopped reading and educating when they left school, not 1 self help book in the home. Lots of movies, no books! It feels comforting and secure to be in the bigger group but unfortunately there’s often a better and easier road to travel…..that less people are using. We often self sabotage because we’re programmed to follow the herd….instead of thinking about where we’re going and the long term consequences of our following based behavior. Maybe it’s time you took a different view of how to solve your problems. Maybe doing what the crowd is doing isn’t the best way to do things. Are you ready for some self sabotage coaching….so you get get everything pointed in the right direction?