Sometimes the need for self-esteem trumps even the desire to succeed. We create barriers to our own success so we can use them as ready-made excuses in case we fail. “Of course my presentation bombed this morning,” one of our students might say to himself, “I was up all night partying with my friends; and it’s no surprise I got a D on that test. I skipped half the classes and didn’t bother to do the assigned readings.”
