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.

Most of us have, at one time or another, allowed an undesirable situation to remain in place because we simply did not want to change it. Self defeat is amazingly common, although few people will own up to it.

Someone will say the law of attraction doesn’t work because they don’t appear to be getting what they want. In truth they are getting what is aligned with their real beliefs, hence attraction is very real and at play.

It’s easy to say we want one thing while deep down we are fine struggling and suffering. As bizare as this sounds just a little study of the people around you, and of yourself, will reveal the truth.

Often our fear of change, even positive change, will keep us from moving forward. It’s easier to keep complaining and suffering that to jump into the unknown.

Also, there is the very common feeling of not deserving the thing we actually desire. The truth is what we do or don’t deserve is totally decided by us.

Divinity wants to heap blessings onto us beyond anything we could possibly dream of, yet many times we put a stop to this because we don’t feel worthy.

This self sabotage is at the same time a fascinating phenomenon and a sad reality.

Most of us have a lot of work to do in clearing negative beliefs before we can really manifest what divinity has to offer us. But before we can do that we must admit that we are allowing ourselves to suffer, and in fact at times we are even demanding it.

It’s a lot to take in. But those who are thinking from the higher mind, and who can put the ego aside for just a moment, will see the truth.

Well all say we want the best out of life. We talk about getting rich, being in love, and getting into great shape.

But many people - myself included at one time in my life - don’t really feel like we deserve the best life has to offer. Consider these questions carefully and honestly:

When you have plenty of money in the bank do you ever feel uncomfortable and have the unexplainable urge to blow it?

When you are in a good relationship with someone do you think there must be a limit to how long it can last because it’s “just normal” for relationships to go bad at some point?

When things are going really great for you in life, do you feel on edge and as if something major and bad is going to hit you at any moment?

If you can identify with these or other related feelings, you probably have some worthiness issues. While this is common, it should not be considered “normal” or healthy self esteem.

The truth is you deserve to have a great life. The divine wants you to be happy and blessed, and there is no need to feel uncomfortable or embarassed when things are looking up for you.

PRactice immersing yourself in the ideal life, even if this means imagining it, and really feel at home. Know on a deep level that you are supposed to be in a state of bliss and satisfaction.

You honestly deserve this. Don’t rob yourself of an exciting life by not letting yourself have the happiness that is rightfully yours!