The Hidden Patterns of Self-Sabotage Keeping You Stuck (and How to Break Them) with David Neagle

PodcastMindset

Oct 23

Episode 894: Show Notes

What if the biggest obstacles to your success are all in your head? In this episode, I dive into the hidden patterns of self-sabotage that could be keeping you stuck with David Neagle; speaker, bestselling author, host of The Successful Mind Podcast, and founder of Life Is Now Inc. With over two decades of experience in personal and professional development (including working alongside Bob Proctor and Tony Robbins!), David shares his transformative journey from working dead-end jobs to becoming a successful entrepreneur, uncovering the mindset shifts that propelled him forward along the way.

His insights into how our subconscious beliefs shape our reality and hold us back from reaching our potential are truly eye-opening. As someone who claims to be very self-aware, I was blown away by this conversation! If you want to learn how to recognize these patterns in your own life and break free from limiting beliefs, this is the episode for you. Whether you’re feeling stuck in your career, business, or personal life, stay tuned for practical tools to help you shift your mindset, take control, and start living the life YOU want!

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The Role of Subconscious Programming in Self-Sabotage

As David explains, the subconscious programming we develop in childhood can lead to self-sabotage in adulthood. Growing up in a blue-collar family in Chicago, he absorbed the limiting belief that success was for “other people” and that life was about surviving rather than thriving. Surrounded by this victim mindset, David internalized the idea that successful people were the enemy and that playing it safe and just getting by were his only options. As a result, he found himself in a dead-end job, struggling financially, with his car repossessed and his family on food stamps. Despite his best efforts, David’s poor work ethic and negative attitude, fueled by these deeply ingrained beliefs, were keeping him stuck in a perpetual cycle of failure.

The turning point came one freezing February night when he broke down in the back of a trailer at the dock he worked on, begging God to help him change his life. In that moment, he heard a voice that said, “David, change your attitude.” Suddenly, it was clear: the real obstacles were within his own mind! His subconscious had been sabotaging him, keeping him safe by preventing him from taking risks or recognizing opportunities for growth.

Breaking the Cycle of Limiting Beliefs

After his breakdown on the dock, David reflected on what successful people did differently. He realized that the owner of his company, a man who started the business in his garage and built it into a multi-million dollar enterprise, operated with a completely different mindset than the one David was brought up with. There were three key differences: the owner loved what he did, did his job to the best of his ability, and treated everyone with respect. Even though David hated his job, he decided to act like he loved it, commit to doing every task to the best of his ability, and treat everyone around him with kindness and respect. This mindset shift marked the beginning of breaking the cycle of limiting beliefs.

Within 30 days, David’s income tripled without any additional education or training! This incredible leap showed him that the opportunity for success had always been there, but his previous attitude and limiting beliefs had blinded him to it. By changing his internal perspective, David unlocked potential he didn’t even know he had, proving that breaking free from self-sabotage starts with shifting how we perceive ourselves and the world around us. This shift enabled him to see new possibilities and, ultimately, transform his life!

The Impact of Attitude on Personal Success

Although self-sabotage is rooted in your subconscious programming, David’s transformation highlights the profound impact that something as simple as your attitude can have on personal success. By making a very conscious decision to change his mindset after his breakdown, David not only changed his thoughts; he also fundamentally shifted his approach to life and work. We don’t have control over our programming, but we CAN choose to change it!

If you believe you’re in a dead-end job and you’ll never be successful, your actions will reflect those beliefs and they’ll become your reality. Instead, you need to understand that it’s all about how you perceive a set of circumstances. If you knew how to think differently, you could break through those barriers to your success and move forward with pride, purpose, and positivity. Rather than viewing his job as menial and unfulfilling, David chose to embrace it with enthusiasm, telling himself to act as if he loved what he was doing. This simple yet powerful shift allowed him to engage more fully with the world around him and recognize opportunities he had previously overlooked.

Confronting and Conquering Your Sabotage Pattern

As a coach, David has encountered multiple clients who would come to him excited about pursuing their dreams, only to backtrack when faced with the first obstacle or self-doubt. They would express a desire to quit, attributing their hesitation to external circumstances rather than recognizing the internal beliefs that were truly holding them back. That’s when David realized we all have a subconscious “sabotage pattern” that causes us to self-sabotage right before we’re about to have a big breakthrough. As he explains, the root of these fear-based responses isn't necessarily about failing or succeeding in a task, but rather about the fear of exposure, of being judged or criticized by others.

By helping his clients see that these fears are based on their subconscious programming, David empowers them to reframe their mindset and take calculated risks. This process allows them to confront their fears and move forward with their business aspirations, ultimately leading to major personal and professional growth. David’s coaching philosophy emphasizes that overcoming the fear of failure is crucial for breaking the cycle of self-sabotage. By recognizing that these fears are often rooted in the desire for acceptance and validation from others, you can take ownership of your choices and actions, embrace challenges as opportunities for growth rather than threats, and pursue your desires with confidence and clarity!

Consciously Creating a Life of Desire and Purpose

The power of choice is one of our greatest gifts as human beings, enabling us to shape our lives in meaningful ways. David argues that many people go through life unconsciously, following a set of rules and beliefs imposed on them by society, family, or their upbringing. This lack of conscious decision-making often leads to dissatisfaction and unfulfillment. As an antidote to this, he unpacks several key principles that are fundamental to understanding self-sabotage and unlocking personal potential, from untangling the mental scripts that dictate your decisions to taking ownership of your choices, accepting responsibility for YOUR life, and aligning your actions with your true desires and purpose.

David emphasizes that “success is easy” when you’re clear about what you genuinely want in life. This alignment fuels motivation and passion, making the journey toward success so much more fulfilling. In fact, David stresses that tapping into your desires is not only possible but essential for living a fulfilling life! By recognizing the power of choice, you can break free from the confines of self-sabotage and pursue the life you truly want without fear of judgment. This also means carefully evaluating the people you choose to surround yourself with. Do they really have your best interests at heart?

Embracing the Vulnerability that Comes with Success

Once you become above average, everybody sees you. There are going to be people who love you and people who don’t. There’s nothing you can do about it either way. As David explains, there is a certain vulnerability that accompanies success (and the resulting exposure) that you’re going to have to learn to accept and mature into. Whether someone tells you that you’re amazing or they think you’re a real jerk, you have to understand that neither one of those responses is about you. It’s simply their perception of you, which is informed by their own subconscious programming. Again, it all comes back to anchoring yourself in your purpose and reminding yourself why you do what you do.

We need to rewire how we think about certain things. Judgment from others is one thing. Failure is another. So often, the mistakes you make are attached to shame and guilt rather than the important lessons you learn as a result. Similarly, self-doubt comes from misunderstanding the self. You don’t know what your true nature is or what you are capable of. Self-doubt is a voice in your head, informed by your past, that tries to tell you that success is for other people, not you. As David’s remarkable story demonstrates, you cannot listen to that voice! The truth is that you’re an amazing person and you’re here for an amazing reason. Your job is to stay focused on what that is.

You Were Born To Be A Success

David has prepared a complimentary download for you where he breaks down the #1 truth that will help you eliminate doubt and self-sabotage. He even shares an exercise on page 8 that’s designed to help anyone get really clear on what they want and pinpoint and remove their blocks currently getting in the way. You can grab it right here.

Quote This

“The truth is you’re an amazing person and you’re here for an amazing reason. Your job is to stay focused on what that is.”

— @DavidNeagle

Highlights

The Role of Subconscious Programming in Self-Sabotage. [0:01:44]
Breaking the Cycle of Limiting Beliefs. [0:06:35]
The Impact of Attitude on Personal Success. [0:09:50]
Confronting and Conquering Your Sabotage Pattern. [0:14:35]
Consciously Creating a Life of Desire and Purpose. [0:18:03]
Embracing the Vulnerability that Comes with Success. [0:32:18]

Our Guest:

David Neagle

Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTube | X

David Neagle is a speaker, best-selling author, founder of the multimillion-dollar global consulting company Life Is Now, Inc, and host of the Business Daily News ranked podcast - The Successful Mind.

David’s quest is to teach people to think successfully so they can experience personal freedom. Being in the personal and professional development industry for more than 20 years, David has worked alongside other well-known mentors like Bob Proctor and Tony Robbins, and his clients include many well-known people, including New York Times #1 best-selling author Jen Sincero.

David has helped tens of thousands of students from across the globe, and is one of the architects of the personal growth industry. Through David’s mentoring and podcast, thousands of entrepreneurs, experts and self-employed professionals have gained the confidence and found the right mindset needed to increase their revenue, turning their endeavors into seven- and eight-figure ventures.