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Your own worst enemy

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Your own worst enemy means that a person's own actions or decisions cause them more problems than anyone else does. It describes someone who keeps making choices that work against their own success or happiness.

The idea behind the phrase is that sometimes the greatest obstacle a person faces is themselves. The expression became common in English as a way to describe self-sabotaging behavior.

He had the talent to succeed, but his constant procrastination made him his own worst enemy.