My Own Worst Enemy

I am definitely my own worst enemy.  I am reminded often of an anime I have watched called XXXholic (no it's not a hentai, I have no idea what the XXX stands for).  There is a set of episodes based around one topic: words.  To paraphrase the main character:

"Words are alive.  Words form chains that bind us and can set the course of our future."

I believe this is true and I have often bound myself with the chains from my words.  A silly example of this is my art.  I love art: drawing, creating, painting, all of it.  I have stopped myself from doing it on more than a few occasions.  I haven't practiced my drawing in ages; I rarely pick up a pencil to sketch anything anymore.  The reason?  I'm afraid of failing at it.  I tell myself things like "you probably won't draw it well" or "it's going to be out of proportion like usual" or "it's not like it's going to get you anywhere.  It's pointless".  The few times that I've ignored my doubts, I end up failing at it because I'm both out of practice and I see the flaws in it, becoming irritated at myself.  Art isn't the only thing that I've stopped myself from doing, there are many other things. 

Some say that you should only think positive thoughts and say positive things.  However, positive words can bind as well and not only in positive ways.  You can tell yourself that whatever you do will be great, but that doesn't mean it actually will be.  After thinking positive, the letdown when it doesn't turn out great, can at times be harder than if you had expected to fail in the first place.  In a book series I have read, the main protagonist is the keeper of the demon of hope.  Most people would say that hope is good.  I believe it to be almost the opposite.  Hope can have it's benefits, but for the most part, it leads to letdown.

I am bipolar, so wanted or not, I've seen both sides, the purely positive thinking and the purely negative thinking.  Suffice to say, it's the positive thinking that has gotten me into more trouble and the outcomes of it have usually led to falling back into negative thinking. 

It's not only my own words that have bound me.  Words other people have said bind me just as much, whether from a loved one or a complete stranger.  Not all words have to be spoken and not all words spoken have the same tone.  A simple raise of one eyebrow can, at times, say more than words can.  Depending on tone of voice, a person saying "I believe in you" doesn't always project that they truly do.

How do you break free from the chains words bind us in?  How do you find the balance between positive chains and negative chains and how do you find this balance when you have little to no control over the ones formed by your own mind?