How to Spot (and Stop) Self-Sabotage Before It Starts

Transforming Everyday Habits into Growth Opportunities

Self-sabotage is rarely obvious. It doesn’t always look like procrastination or self-destruction; often, it’s as quiet as a worry that won’t go away, a critical thought, or a tendency to brush off praise. In The Big Leap, Gay Hendricks calls these 'Upper Limit Symptoms'—behaviors that quietly bring us back to our comfort zone the moment we start to expand beyond it.

Common symptoms include excessive worry, criticism and blame, deflection (such as minimizing compliments), and even getting sick or having minor accidents after a big win. These patterns aren’t flaws; they’re signals. When you catch yourself worrying about something you can’t control, ask: 'What positive change might I be resisting?' Each symptom is an invitation to grow.

Hendricks shares stories of people who, after years of self-sabotage, learned to greet these behaviors with curiosity instead of judgment. By noticing and naming the pattern, they began to loosen its grip. The process is gentle but powerful—awareness is the first step to change.

The journey isn’t about eradicating old habits, but about using them as stepping stones. With each moment of awareness, you reclaim a little more freedom. Self-sabotage becomes self-liberation, and the path to your Zone of Genius opens wider than ever before.