The magnitude of self-defeat in our society is astonishing. It’s a rampant problem that is seriously eroding human evolution and keeping our civilization decades behind where we should be technologically, spiritually, and intellectually.

The fact is, most people are completely unaware of their own self sabotage. An individual may realize he or she is an underachiever, but not understand the real cause of the issue.

People love playing the victim, pointing a finger at their parents, the government, the media, the economy, and so forth. But in truth we define our own destiny by how we feel and what we think.

It’s well-known that over 80% of all worldwide lottery winners return to a state of poverty within 24 months. Looking at this sad statistic, one is inclined to ridicule…

“Those idiots. Give me 1o million dollars and I’ll save and invest my way to 20 million!”

But while nearly everyone will say “YES” when asked if they’d like to be rich, the reality is quite another story. If you take an honest look around you’ll find people who are sick, tired, broke, lonely, and miserable for one core reason:

Because this is exactly how they wish to be!

I know this is hard to accept but it’s the truth. An extreme lack of honesty and self-awareness makes this level of self defeat seem impossible.

But people who are able to be honest with themselves soon discover they are indeed creating and perpetuating the very situations they claim to loathe. Here’s an example from my own life:

I used to be poor. And I mean dirt poor, never had a dollar in my pocket, always the broke guy in the group.

At one point I resigned myself to always be impoverished. I remember looking at friends who had cable, a computer, and an Xbox and sincerely wondering how on earth they managed to pull it off.

I said aloud to one of my buddies: “There’s just no way in hell I see myself ever being able to afford cable TV, a PC, and an Xbox system.”

We were discussing the finer points of online gaming and I was 100% convinced of the truth behind my admission. This is so bizarre when I think of it; I can’t even relate to the broken victim I was back then.

But here’s the really interesting bit…

When I decided I did want to have money, and that I was willing to work hard as an entrepreneur to get it, I came face to face with the intensity of my own self defeatism. I remember just thinking about my goals to attain large amounts of money, and how physically uncomfortable I got.

Just imagining a large sum of money made me sick to my stomach. My heart rate would go up and I felt extremely agitated for several minutes.

I didn’t notice all this at first, just as many people are unaware of their own self defeat symptoms. But when I began looking for evidence I was shocked by how obvious my ailment was.

I didn’t feel comfortable - at all - thinking about the drastic change plenty of money would have on my life. Struggle and lack were normal for me, and I knew how these felt. Shifting into a state of abundance was very different, even painful for me!

I really had to work to get past this. Part of what I did was to repeat strong money affirmations all day long. I would say things like:

“Money is good to me. Money loves me. It’s safe for me to have plenty of money. I’m thankful for all the money that comes to me from many sources. I always have more than enough money. I deserve to have plenty of money.”

I would repeat these statements day after day, and more importantly I put all my energy into believing them. I often tell people if I can have a profitable business anyone can because I was a complete train wreck in the areas of money consciousness and abundance mindset.

This article may be hard for some to understand. But it’s here for those people who have serious self-limitations they aren’t yet aware of.

If you just can’t seem to get right in one area of your life, despite your claims that you want the money, love, health, or whatever more than anything else in the world, you should read this piece again. If you feel awkward, irritated, even sick when you think about really having whatever it is you say you want, you may need to do some serious self analysis and clearing of your beliefs.

In addition to a good program of affirmations, I recommend meditation, the study of emotional freedom technique, complete immersion in self development books and audios, and even personal coaching. To shift from this kind of self defeat you need to stay alert in each moment and really give 100% of yourself to the process of change.

This takes some serious sustained thought. But once you get past the obstacle of your own self limitations you will be unstoppable.