Ask Yourself These 7 Questions To Determine If You're Sabotaging Your Own Relationship

You might be the problem in your own relationships.

By James Michael Sama — Last updated on Jun 09, 2023

Photo: CandyRetriever/ Shutterstock

I’ve learned over the years that most of the advice people seek out when it comes to personal development, dating, or relationships — is simply a reinforcement of what they already think.

I find that when people come to me for coaching services, it’s because they want honest truth and unbiased feedback. But, the majority of people would rather hear the banal “just be yourself, the right person will come along” tune from their family and friends.

If you actually want to reflect and consider things YOU might be able to do differently to stop self-sabotaging relationships (since you are the only person you can control in this world), ask yourself these questions — and answer them honestly.

Ask yourself these 7 questions to determine if you're sabotaging your own relationship:

1. Am I taking this too seriously?

I know – dating should be taken seriously…but there is a difference between not messing around with your time, and treating something that should be fun like it’s a tedious job.

A lot of people tell me that they hate dating because it feels like a job interview or an interrogation. My answer to that is – you’re dating the wrong people! When you date someone who you click with has great energy and is fun to be around, you will enjoy their company right from the start, whether or not you are actually compatible to be together.

So many people are avoiding dating because it has presented itself as this albatross in their lives, that I truly believe we have lost sight of the entire point of it: To enjoy someone else’s company to the point where you want to see them again. And again. And again.

It really is that simple — we have to stop over-complicating this and start enjoying it again.

2. Am I always waiting for “them” to make the first move?

“Them,” no matter who “they” might be for you. Now, anyone who’s followed my writing understands that as progressive as I am, I still believe that men should do the pursuing when it comes to dating.

But, we live in funny times.

No matter, if you are a man or a woman, seeking a man or a woman, my strongest belief in all areas of life, is that you need to take charge of your own destiny and go after what you want.

Make a move. Say hello. Smile at someone. Open the proverbial door to let “them” know it’s okay to interact with you. We are living in a society that seems to frown upon social interaction unless it’s through the filter of a screen – so if you keep waiting for someone else to make a move, you might just be waiting forever.

3. Am I talking too much about myself?

How many dates have you been on where you thought to yourself: “Geeze, are you ever going to ask anything about ME?”

I have heard from a lot of women that men just talk about themselves during the whole date – and I have personal experience with going on dates where I have spent over 3 hours with women who literally did not stop talking about themselves the entire time.

The moral of the story? Not everyone is innocent. You may get excited and enthusiastic and want to share all sorts of things with someone new, and that is great — it helps them to learn about you…but if you never change directions, it will make them feel like you really don’t care to learn anything about them in return. A sure way to not get a second date in the books.

4. Am I always putting his/her interests ahead of my own?

I always get in trouble for making this point — so please read this carefully:

There is a big difference between making your partner’s happiness a priority and acting in ways that actually emotionally harm you.

There is compromise, and there is self-sacrifice.

There is selflessness, and there is martyrdom.

You need to be able to know when your kindness is being taken advantage of to a point where you are actually giving up your own dignity in a relationship. Typically, a big cause of this is a lack of self-confidence and self-worth, which then leads to the belief that you need to mold yourself to this person’s life and expectations in order to keep their attention.

Sound familiar? It did for me – for most of my life.

This is why I focus on personal development with my clients in relation to dating. You can learn all of the ‘strategies’ to get someone’s attention that you want, but if you have not yet developed yourself into a well-rounded human being who can stand on his/her own two legs – you will not keep their attention.

5. My standards are high – but are they unreasonable?

Believe me, I am the first person to tell people to raise their standards. I have done it on television, in my book, at live events, and almost all of my social media posts. But…we have to remember that we are still talking about human beings when it comes to dating and relationships, and no human being is perfect.

Not you, not me.

I have had clients who pulled out a laundry list of what they’re looking for in a mate, and some of it, I’m sorry to say, simply does not exist.

Holding standards that are unrealistic is (in my opinion) a defense mechanism to always have an excuse for why something doesn’t work out. It’s easy to say “Well, he wasn’t 6’2″ with ice blue eyes, a chiseled 6-pack, a trust fund, and a lexicon of 5 languages…so I guess it just wasn’t meant to be.”

What’s not easy, is to take a look at what you want, and break it down into a list of what you really need. For example – sure, you WANT to date a guy who’s 6’2″, but is it because you NEED to date a guy who makes you feel safe and secure? If that’s the need, you can find that security in a guy who provides it in ways other than height.

If you can really break down your wants and your needs, you can understand what is actually going to make you happy in a relationship. Not just what you think you want.

6. Am I just looking for the next dopamine hit?

The reason social media websites have created such an addictive experience is that they’ve tapped into the psychological reality of the human brain that keeps us searching for a rush of dopamine, or the ‘pleasure drug.’ The inner workings of your brain don’t actually know the difference between getting a thousand likes on your Instagram picture and doing a line of cocaine.

It sounds like a ridiculous comparison, but when you understand that your moods, reactions, feelings, and emotions, are simply chemicals being released in your brain; you gain a deeper understanding of yourself and others.

There is a concept in psychology called Hedonic Adaptation, which essentially is the idea that you feel a rush when something new and exciting happens (ie., meeting a new man or woman), but eventually, that feeling subsides and wears off. Anyone who has watched a child get bored with a toy or an adult leave something in the drawer that they once dreamed of buying, understands that our brains always keep us searching for the next best thing.

NOT PROMISING FOR RELATIONSHIPS.

But, we need to overcome this primal urge and keep logic in the equation as well. Are we being ruled by the constant need to feel this rush? Is this why we look at our phones countless times a day? Is this why we haven’t settled in relationships anymore – because we have been hammered with dopamine hits from all angles 24/7 that we cannot just stop and BE anymore?

Something to ponder, ain’t it?

7. Am I putting off sexual escalation for too long?

OH, SNAP. That’s right, I went there. It has to be said.

One of the challenges I hear a lot from male clients is that they have a hard time building attraction. Keyword — BUILDING.

Think of physical intimacy as a staircase. It starts with a hug, holding hands, walking arm in arm…there is a process for understanding what someone is or isn’t comfortable with physically, and understanding their reaction in order to proceed, or not.

I have spoken to many men who have gone too far down a path with a woman without ANY physical advances (not even a kiss after a few dates) and are looking to begin building attraction from that point on.

The harsh truth is: You may have waited too long and lost your shot.