The Self-fulfilling Prophecy

The self-fulfilling prophecy describes how our beliefs about a certain outcome influence our behaviors ultimately leading to that outcome. In other words, what we think tends to manifest into what we do and how we do.

How does this explain why we self-sabotage? Simply put, we do not like to be wrong.

If there is a chance you will fail, you may subconsciously contribute to that failure to make sure that in the end, you were right about something. Therefore, when you fail the test, don’t lose the weight or break up, you’ll have proven yourself right.

Think back to a time you wanted to succeed, but did not believe you would. Leading up to the outcome, what were you telling people? Did you make up excuses to exemplify the possible failure? You may have been unconsciously contributing to that exact outcome.

In the effort to protect ourselves from the possibility of failure, we often lead ourselves exactly there.

So next time, don’t bank on failure. Bank on success. Notice how your mindset shifts and work ethic increases. Notice how your beliefs positively influence your behaviors. Notice how you prove yourself right.