Meet M.A.R.T.Y.

(Makes Awful Remarks To You)

M.A.R.T.Y. is the Chief Saboteur, responsible for activating all other saboteurs. She constantly looks for fault with herself, others, and circumstances, finding it necessary to judge negatively by using harsh words, looking down or pointing her finger. For M.A.R.T.Y. everything is black or white, and she uses blame, shame, guilt, disappointment, frustration, regret, and more to motivate. She does NOT want you to mess up, and she feels the best way to ensure you don't is to experience a lot of anxiety, stress, and suffering so you won't want to do that again.

(Note: Your Saboteurs can manifest as any gender, with names of their own. Choose whatever gender goes with each Saboteur for you!)

And now, for M.A.R.T.Y.'s accomplices...

C.I.N.D.Y.

(Conflict Is Not Doable Y'All)

C.I.N.D.Y. takes positivity to an extreme and keeps things feeling Zen by ignoring and avoiding difficult, unpleasant tasks and conflicts. She tends to say yes to keep things nice and has a “no big deal” attitude, even toward important, real problems. C.I.N.D.Y. becomes passive-aggressive rather than having a direct conversation if she is concerned that it won’t be well-received, and any anger gets pushed down inside instead of expressed. She will do comfy tasks all day long, using those tasks as excuses for not being able to do things she considers unpleasant. C.I.N.D.Y. goes even further into avoidance when she feels anxious about what is unresolved. 

C.A.R.O.L.

(Controls All Realms of Life)

C.A.R.O.L. hated group projects in school because no one else did the level of work she did and C.A.R.O.L. wasn’t about to let some slacker kids ruin her grade, so she did all the work. C.A.R.O.L. needs to be in charge, often coming across as pushy or confrontational due to her straight talk and get-it-done attitude. It’s game on if there’s a conflict, as being on top is where C.A.R.O.L. feels the safest. When not keeping things in order, winning, or feeling in charge, C.A.R.O.L.’s anxiety and impatience run high - especially if something affects her personally. C.A.R.O.L. is secretly afraid of being controlled by others so vulnerability is typically a hard “no” for fear of being seen as weak.

S.I.M.O.N.

(Success Is My Only Need)

S.I.M.O.N. wears overworking like a badge of honor. Success is the name of the game, and if S.I.M.O.N. isn’t achieving tangible results then he typically feels empty or worthless. Feelings don’t tend to come in first (or second, or third) because they tend to get in the way of the work S.I.M.O.N. could be doing if he wasn’t busy dealing with feelings! The work never ends, however, and S.I.M.O.N. is often sacrificing quality in relationships due to his never-ending quest to do more, be more, and gain more as a way of feeling fulfilled and validated.

A.R.T.Y.

(Always Right Thank You)

A.R.T.Y. is intense, idea-driven, and capable of deep insight - so much so that he finds himself superior to other humans. A.R.T.Y. has the answers, and while he’s happy to share the fact that he knows, he may or may not share his actual perspective. Vulnerable feelings are out for A.R.T.Y., as they cloud his mind and get in the way of rationality. He’s happy to shut anything out that distracts him from his thoughts or work, valuing knowledge, understanding, and insight above all else. A.R.T.Y. usually panics when he doesn’t know what to do and gets frustrated or angry when he makes a mistake, as his worth is attached to his competence. He feels misunderstood and just wishes everyone else could get it like he does…

L.O.I.S.

(Look Out I'm Screwed)

L.O.I.S. is always on high alert, seeking out potential pitfalls and wary of the way things are being done. For L.O.I.S. safety is the number one priority and since the other shoe could drop at any moment, she’s constantly waiting for it. While she may or may not follow the rules, she certainly wants to know what they are in order to keep an eye on things. Anxiety is a long-time friend, as is skepticism of people’s motives since she’s seen what can happen on the news and social media. "You never know who might be out to get you!" she says. L.O.I.S.'s friends and family appreciate her love, loyalty, and friendship, but her constant fear-mongering gets old and takes a lot of their energy.

K.E.N.

(Keeps Everything Nice)

K.E.N.'s desire to help and please is based on need, as that’s where he gets his sense of self-worth. K.E.N. needs to be needed, and acceptance and approval determine whether he feels ok or not. As a result, he constantly over-gives and helps - even when help isn’t needed or wanted - sacrificing himself in the process. Though he doesn’t typically prefer to be in the spotlight, K.E.N. expects attention, affection, and recognition in return for what he gives. If he doesn’t get it then he can feel resentful. K.E.N. feels that doing things for himself or asking for what he needs is selfish, so instead he puts on his rescue hat and gives some more, hoping that others will figure out what he needs and take care of him in return.

S.I.A.

(Stays In Action)

S.I.A. is a master of the shiny object game, moving from one thing to the next and staying busy. She enthusiastically takes on all the things, believing that more is more and better is always around the corner - so let’s go! Unfortunately, S.I.A. gets caught up in distraction, overwhelm, or impatience to the point where she’s not really creating any consistency, nor a solid foundation or plan for herself. When she feels that discomfort, she escapes the feeling quickly by finding yet another thing to do, often leaving a pile of unfinished business.

P.I.T.A.

(Perfection Is The Answer)

P.I.T.A. earned her attention and affection as a child by being good at things, so she figured being perfect would give her even more approval and ensure her survival. P.I.T.A. takes self-discipline and accuracy to an extreme, causing her to feel agitated or anxious if something isn’t just right. She has a hard time accepting the faults of others or things done differently than how she would do them. While she can dish it out, P.I.T.A.  has a hard time taking it, with criticism feeling like a threat to her survival. If P.I.T.A. can’t do something perfectly she often doesn’t want to do it at all, feeling that anything less would be a waste of time and lessen her self-confidence and worth.

M.A.R.I.A.

(Misunderstood And Righteously Into Anti-Responsibility)

M.A.R.I.A.'s sensitive nature tends to focus on the negative. And because she tends to repress her true emotions, M.A.R.I.A. often feels misunderstood which can set off an unexpected outburst. Defined by her disempowering feelings, M.A.R.I.A. longs for rescue while stewing in a world of feelings that would normally have passed. She fears nobody truly cares, so she tests others to prove her theory. Oftentimes she just wants to hide away because things feel hard a lot of the time. M.A.R.I.A. tends to attract challenges to justify her sadness, keeping her in a cycle of feeling like things don’t seem to work out for her.

B.O.B.

(Business Owner Burnout)

When you can’t operate under your current level of pressure and stress any longer, B.O.B. might show up for a visit. B.O.B. is a serious threat to any business or creative endeavor. Once he's made an appearance, it's tough to get him to leave.  B.O.B. will set up shop in your favorite chair, content to doom scroll, eat takeout, and binge watch streaming content.  B.O.B. has zero interest in "getting things done" because B.O.B. *is* done.  Things like wearing real clothes, planning, and productivity are out because B.O.B. lost your vision between two couch cushions at some point and doesn't have the energy or desire to look for it.  Trying to reason with B.O.B. or motivate him is usually fruitless. And because it's exhausting, "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" becomes the path of least resistance, and soon distraction and feeling cozy will be top on your agenda.

Don't Let Your Saboteurs Keep You From Success! 

You do NOT have to hustle or grind your way to success, or avoid the work because you don't want to feel like that. You can achieve higher levels of success, performance, and happiness WITHOUT your Saboteurs.

YOU have the power to weaken those Saboteur voices, redirect your neural pathways, and choose the path of your inner Sage. The process is simple, it just takes consistent practice and commitment to yourself.

Say Goodbye to the Hamster Wheel of Hustle 👋

Are you WORKING REALLY HARD but not seeing the results you want?

Are you constantly playing catch up, but let’s be honest YOU’RE NEVER CAUGHT UP so you don’t even know what that is?

Are you doing things because you think YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO, but they DON’T RESONATE with you any longer (or at all)?

Do you feel like what you’re doing is NEVER ENOUGH, no matter HOW MUCH you do or achieve?

Is B.O.B. on the verge of taking over?