The Five Monsters That Kill Your Success

This Halloween week little ghouls and goblins will be roaming the streets, looking for treats. And in your very own life, monsters lurk around every corner, looking for opportunities to trick you out of your success!

Success is defined differently depending on whom you ask.  The dictionary definition of success is, ‘an accomplishment of aim or purpose.’ So in order to create a fulfilling life that is connected to any amount of personal or financial success, we need to be aware of these five “monsters” that get in the way of that aim and purpose: 

 Monster #1: The Inner Demon:

“It is a frightening thought that man also has a shadow side to him, consisting not just of little weaknesses and foibles, but of a positively demonic dynamism. The individual seldom knows anything of this; to him, as an individual, it is incredible that he should ever in any circumstances go beyond himself. But let these harmless creatures form a mass, and there emerges a raging monster.”

–  Carl Jung, On the Psychology of the Unconscious.

If you are on a path of self-discovery you may come across some traits about yourself that you find disturbing or difficult to accept.   In the realm of psychology, Carl Jung developed extensive research to this concept, and called it our Shadow Self. He said that the Shadow Self is an archetype that forms part of the unconscious mind, and is composed of the repressed ideas, instincts, impulses, weaknesses, desires, perversions and embarrassing fears we may have.  As we age, Jung believed that our process of maturing and civilizing requires us to repress the aspects of ourselves that do not fit in with the structured ideal of our society, in order to fit in.

The key here, in dealing with your Inner Demon is to practice embracing your inner darkness. That’s right – it’s necessary for us all to acknowledge that it exists within and ACCEPT IT.  When you accept your dark traits without judging yourself, you will start to take responsibility for yourself and release yourself from their control.

What does this mean? By taking a step back from your dark thoughts, you will also give yourself the opportunity to see that your thoughts, feelings and desires can come in and leave as quickly as you allow them to.  For example, you cannot simply get “past hatred” if you don’t admit to yourself that you have hateful feelings.  Embracing our Shadow Self helps us truly live authentic lives and create a deeper understanding of ourselves.  This is one step in cultivating  a deeper love of all aspects of yourself and live a truly expressed life.

Next up – Monster #2 – The soul-sucking Comparison Monster!