Self-Fulfilling Prophecies
“Circular Imprisonment”
Self-Portrait, July 2023
Our lives are riddled with our own self-fulfilling prophecies.
We approach a situation, relationship, opportunity, etc. in a certain way because we expect a particular outcome. Previous experiences in our lives have led us to believe things will happen in a given way so we automatically expect other situations to happen just the same. But because we approach it with a preconceived idea of what will happen, we go into everything looking for the moments that will confirm our beliefs.
We develop a confirmation bias for our own self-fulfilling prophecies.
Which I know from experience can lead to disappointment, unhealthily low expectations, a general distance from any optimism, and a heavy dose of bitterness.
The expectations we have are strongly influencing our actions. Oftentimes without us even realizing it. Recognizing our self-fulfilling prophecies can be hard because they operate on a subconscious level and it takes awareness to notice them happening.
Awareness of a problem is the first step toward taking intentional action towards growth. What self-fulfilling prophecies might you have that are not serving you well?
This past year, I’ve been made aware of some of my own self-fulfilling prophecies. I know now that I often go into situations with the expectation that things won’t work out, therefore my own actions often help feed into situations not working out. Then when I get to the end of a situation and it hasn’t worked out, it confirms my expectations and feeds into the bigger cycle. And the vicious circle repeats itself.
But remind yourself that the cycles we have were often put into place long ago as a way for us to protect ourselves. As we grow and change, however, we can grow out of our old protective habits and they can become destructive to our future.
Awareness is the first step towards healing.
What self-fulfilling prophecy might you be stuck in that is no longer serving you?
Be gentle with yourself when dealing with them because our mind is often trying to protect us, but it may be time to actively remove yourself from a cycle that is detrimental to your future.
We’re so much more than the cycles we live in.
