Six (No...Seven) Self-Sabotaging States of Mind Every Leader Must Slay

As a newsletter dedicated to serving executives, business leaders, and entrepreneurs, we take great pride in empowering our readers in strategy, tactic, and insight.  However, we are fully aware that without an adequate understanding of the mindset needed to be successful, there is no degree of strategy that will work to move you or your agenda forward.  Every now and again we have to take time to address perspectives and paradigms, the “rulers” of thought patterns.  We have dedicated this article to unveiling six, no seven states of mind that keep many business leaders bound to mediocrity and low-performance. May these words be the breathe of life you need in your journey of High-Performance Leadership.

Man Lie, Women Lie, Numbers Don’t Lie

Most of the data backing our claims on the six, no seven, self-sabotaging thoughts presented below come from the 65,000 hours of research and development performed by Neasman Research Institute, and the private testimonials of 2,650+ executive participants that have taken the High-Performance Leadership Assessment™ to date.  This 60+ psycho-analytical assessment is marked with the soul searching questions needed for executives and leaders seeking clarity in business and life.  They take the assessment primarily because of pain, but our guarantee to increase impact, income and influence by 40-60% annually makes for one heck of a nudge.  

After assessing thousands of participants, one thing we are absolutely certain about is our understanding of success.  While it is true…success is in the eyes of the beholder, and it varies from person to person; the principles that govern success are the same in every instance.  We will assume that you have a firm grasp on most of the principles that pertain to being successful, so in this article we will not focus on what you should be doing. 

Instead we’ve opted to focus on those belief systems that lie tucked away in the back of your mind.  The ones that shuffle around in the background, shrieking loudly during hard times, and in moments of ambiguity and hard decisions. If thoughts were not so powerful, we would just ignore them, but considering that thoughts are the primary cause of all effects (thoughts >> beliefs >> actions >> habits >> results/effects), it would be a massive disservice to you to undermine the importance of the principles that follow.

The Power of Thought

Truly, “thoughts are things,” and powerful things at that, when mixed with purpose, persistence and a burning desire for their translation into mass impact, income, and influence. Every great accomplishment of health, wealth, and relationships begin with a state of mind, with definiteness of purpose, and with little to no hard work.  You, and every other person, ought to be interested in knowing how to acquire a state of mind that will attract success. Failure comes to those who indifferently allow themselves to become failure conscious.  The object of this article is to help all who seek it to learn the art of changing their minds from failure consciousness to success consciousness. 

Fact: Our brains do not know the difference between a constructive or destructive thought, its only job is to show us the quickest path to what we already “know” to be true.  It does this by magnetizing the dominating thoughts we hold in our minds.  By means with which no scientist has been able to ascertain, these “magnets” attract to us the forces, the people, the circumstances of life which harmonize with the nature of our dominating thoughts. 

You should note that the six (no…seven) states of mind we will be talking about in this article all have one thing in common–fear.  Fear is the grandfather of each of them, and because fear is a natural part of the brain’s cognition, we are all highly susceptible to each state of mind.  Count yourself fortunate if you do not suffer from all of them at some point in your life.  Let’s gain some distinction to know how to recognize and combat them when they make haste to take a seat at the table of your mind’s consciousness in the future.

Six Self-Sabotaging States of Mind, and The Accomplice

Even the most successful business leaders and entrepreneurs can fall prey to self-doubt and limiting beliefs. These negative thought patterns, often disguised as seemingly logical thinking, can cripple motivation, hinder decision-making, and ultimately, destroy performance. 

Here are the top six self-sabotaging states of mind (fears) that have been known to derail even the most high-performing leaders:

1. The fear of Poverty

2. The fear of Criticism

3. The fear of Ill Health

4. The fear of Loss of Love of Someone

5. The fear of Old Age

6. The fear of Death

All other fears are of minor importance and can be grouped under these six headings.  Because fears are nothing more than states of mind, they are subject to control and direction.  Doctor’s, as everyone knows, are less subject to attack by disease than ordinary laymen for the reason that doctors do not fear disease. Their immunity against the disease consists largely, if not solely, in their absolute lack of fear.  The underlying principle-in-effect is that we only fear that which we do not understand.  

We are laying the foundation for the presentation of a fact of great importance to the person who does not understand why some people who experience success appear to be “lucky” while others of equal or greater ability , training, experience and brain capacity seem destined to ride with misfortune. This can be explained by the statement that you and I have the ability to control our minds completely. This article will equip you with the ability to identify and combat the fears (states of mind) that keep many failure conscious leaders stuck.  Every one of these fears starts as procrastination, quickly transforms to doubt, and manifests itself as a full blown emotion.

The Fear of Poverty

This state of mind is sufficient to destroy a leader’s chances of success in any undertaking.  This fear paralyzes the faculty of reason, destroys enthusiasm, discourages initiative, leads to uncertainty of  purpose, encourages procrastination, wipes out enthusiasm and personality, destroys the possibility of accurate thinking, diverts willpower  into nothingness, destroys ambition, beclouds the memory and invites failure in every conceivable form; it kills friendship and invites disaster in a hundred forms, leads to sleeplessness, misery and unhappiness- and all this despite the obvious truth that we live in a society of overabundance of everything the heart could desire, with nothing standing between us and our desires, except lack of a definite purpose. 

The fear of poverty is, without a doubt, the most destructive of the six self-sabotaging states of mind, therefore we will spend the most effort, in this article, helping you to combat it.  Self-analysis may disclose weaknesses that one does not like to acknowledge.  This form of examination is essential to all who demand of life more than mediocrity and poverty.  Remember as you check yourself point by point, that you are the court and jury, the prosecution and the defense, the plaintiff and the defendant.  Face the facts squarely.  Ask yourself definite questions and demand direct replies.  When the examination is over, you will know more about yourself.  Nothing is more powerful than self-awareness.

The majority of people, if asked what they fear, would reply, “I fear nothing.” The reply would be inaccurate because few people realize they are bound, handicapped, whipped spiritually and physically through some form of fear.  So subtle and deeply seated is the emotion of fear that many leaders go through life burdened with it, never recognizing its presence.  Only a courageous analysis will disclose the presence of this universal enemy.  When you begin such an analysis, search deeply into your character.  Here is a list of the symptoms you should look for: 

Symptoms of the Fear of Poverty

Indifference: Commonly expressed through a lack of ambition; willingness to tolerate poverty; acceptance of whatever compensation life may offer without protest; mental and physical laziness; lack of initiative, imagination, enthusiasm and self-control.

Indecision: The habit of permitting others to do one’s thinking; staying “on the fence.”

Doubt: Generally expressed through alibis and excuses designed to cover up, explain away or apologize for one’s failures’ sometimes expressed in the form of envy of those who are successful, or by criticizing them. 

Worry: Usually expressed by finding fault with others; a tendency to spend beyond one’s income; neglect of personal appearance; scowling or frowning; intemperance in the use of alcoholic drink; sometimes through the use of narcotics; nervousness; lack of poise; self-consciousness and lack of self-reliance. 

Over-caution: The habit of looking for the negative side of every circumstance, thinking and talking of possible failure instead of concentrating upon the means of succeeding.  

Procrastination: The habit of putting off until tomorrow matters that should have been done last year; spending enough time in creating alibis and excuses to have done the job.

The Fear of Criticism

Most people are at the least very uncomfortable when criticized.  The fear of criticism robs people of the initiative, destroys their power of imagination, limits their individuality, takes away their self-reliance, and does them damage in a hundred other ways. Criticism (opinions) is the one form of service, of which everyone has too much,  that is handed out, gratis, whether called for or not.  

One's nearest relatives are often the worst offenders. It should be recognized as a crime for any parent to build inferiority complexes in the mind of a child through unnecessary criticism. Note: Leaders who understand human nature get the best out of people not by criticism but by constructive suggestion.  

Fear of Ill Health

In general, ill health is feared because of the suffering it causes and the fear and uncertainty of what may happen when death comes. In addition there is a fear of the economic toll it may claim. Research reveals that nearly 75% of all people who visit doctors for professional service are suffering from hypochondria (imaginary illness). Again we see, powerful and mighty is the human mind.  It can build or destroy a kingdom with just one thought the size of a mustard seed.  

There is overwhelming evidence that disease sometimes begins in the form of a negative thought impulse.  Such an impulse may be passed from one mind to another by suggestion, or created by an individual in their own mind. The seed of fear of ill health lives in every High-Performance Leader’s mind.  Worry, fear, discouragement, disappointment in love and business affairs cause this seed to germinate and grow. 

Fear of Loss of Love

The fear of loss of love is the most painful of all the six basic fears.  It probably plays more havoc with the body and mind than any of the others. One of the distinguishing  symptoms of this fear is jealousy; being suspicious of friends and loved ones without any reasonable evidence. Another is the habit of accusing one's partner of infidelity without grounds. further symptoms are a general suspicion of everyone, absolute faith in no one, finding fault with friends, relatives, business associates and loved ones up on the slightest provocation, or without any cause whatsoever.

Fear of Old Age

More than the fear of age is the possibility of ill health which is more common as people grow older. Eroticism also enters into the cause of the fear of old age as no one cherishes the thought of diminishing sexual attraction. Another contributing cause of the fear of old age is the possibility of loss of freedom and Independence as old age may bring with it the loss of both physical and economic freedom. 

Some people show a tendency to slow down and develop an inferiority complex when they get older, falsely believing themselves to be “slipping” because of age. The truth is that some of our most useful years mentally and spiritually are those in later life.  Unfortunately there are older men and women who lose their initiative, imagination and self-reliance by falsely believing themselves too old to exercise these qualities.

The Fear of Death

To some this is the cruelest of all the basic fears, the reason is obvious; we know not what to expect after death. As Shakespeare stated so well in Hamlet, it is, “The undiscovered country from whose bourne no traveler returns.” The fear of death is not as common now as it was during the age when there were no great colleges and universities.  With the advancement of medicine, technology, and biology it will be a norm to live 100 years. 

This fear is useless. Accept it as a necessity and pass the thought out of your mind. It must be a necessity, or it would not come at all.   

The entire world is made up of only two things, energy and matter.  Elementary physics teaches us that neither matter nor energy can be created or destroyed. Both matter and energy can be transformed. Life is energy if it is anything. If neither energy nor matter can be destroyed, of course life cannot be destroyed. Life, like other forms of energy, may pass through various processes of transformation or change, but it cannot be destroyed; death therefore is mere transition.

If death is not mere change or transition, then nothing comes after death except a long, eternal peaceful sleep, and sleep is nothing to be feared.  Thus you may wipe out, forever, the fear of death. 

Worry (The Accomplice)

Worry is a state of mind based on fear. It works slowly but persistently.  It is insidious and subtle.  The six basic fears become translated into a state of worry through indecision.  Relieve yourself forever of the fear of death by reaching a decision to accept death as an inescapable event.  Whip the fear of poverty by reaching a decision to get along with whatever wealth you can accumulate without worry.  

Put your foot on the neck  of the fear of criticism by reaching a decision not to worry about what other people think, do or say.  Eliminate the fear of old age by reaching a decision to accept it, not as a handicap, but as a great blessing which carries with it wisdom, self-control and understanding not known to youth.  Acquit yourself of the fear of ill health by reaching a decision to forget symptoms.  Master the fear of loss of love by reaching a decision to get along without love, if it is necessary. 

Kill the habit of worry, and all its forms, by reaching a decision that nothing life has to offer is worth the price of worry. With this decision will come poise, peace of mind and calmness of thought that will bring happiness. A person whose mind is filled with fear not only destroys their own chances of intelligent action, but transmits these destructive vibrations into the minds of other people and destroys their chances as well. As a leader, I charge you to read that last sentence again.

Power Thought

We have unraveled a long rope of thoughts on the states of mind that can lead to the success or failure of high-performance leaders.  These thoughts are primitive, which makes us all subject to them.  While we value the understanding of innovation, technology, and increasing your impact, income, and influence, we realize this first starts with first conquering your own thoughts, taking control of your own mind.  You overcoming these barriers can produce more results in your life than anything else.  It all starts with being willing to ask yourself the right questions.  

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