“ Everyone doubts. It’s a natural response to a new venture. What we don’t want is the self-doubt to paralyze us into inaction.”
“I seek strength, not to be greater than other, but to fight my greatest enemy, the doubts within myself”
― P.C. Cast
The voice that says, “I’m terrible at this job. “What am I thinking?” “ I don’t have the skills to start this or that.” It’s enough to paralyze us ! If we don’t actively work on trusting in our own abilities , it will have a huge impact on how we stand in our own space — and it will rob us of the confidence we need to lead a full life . So what can we do?
The important thing to note is, although almost everyone faces self-doubt at some point ,how our belief affects our ability to perform and achieve goals. In self-doubters, insecurity takes form in a belief that you are not worthy or capable. That, no matter how hard you’ve worked, your results don’t compare to the benchmark you’ve set for success.
Taking action rather than trying to convince ourselves to change. It’s easier to act our way into a new way of thinking than to think our way into a new way of acting. Rather than trying to convince ourselves we can do better, we need to just give it a shot. Even if we fail, action is motivating and encourages us to try again which—of course—increases our odds of success and gets our thoughts headed the right direction, too.
Focusing on our past successes: It can sometimes feel impossible to keep a handle on the present, much less look at our past. But revisiting old victories can help us remember how we got to where we are now. What were the defining moments, the times when we had to show courage and take risks? What can we learn from these moments; when did we show courage, resilience and optimism? Remembering to consider these questions both in the context of our current role and in our life outside of it. We are not the role we play in our life, and we can often learn a lot about our own selves by reflecting on how we show up both in and outside of the role. Psychologists have discovered that how we remember our past determines how we feel about us in the present. Do we focus on the negative—the failures we’ve experienced? Or the positive—the successes we’ve engineered? Our answer has a big impact on what actions we shall take next and how well they’ll turn out for us. Most importantly, we’ve got to learn to look inside and listen to our intuition. The thing about self doubt is that it feeds on the antithesis and drives you to the lowest of lows, but when you calm yourself down , you can hear that voice of intuition. This voice unlike our inner critic does not arise out of fear and delusion, but is a calling to move forward.
Building momentum by celebrating small wins. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a small first step. This is both true and timeless. When we are stuck in the pit of self-doubt, our attention is consumed by it. Even if it’s not true and not a big deal, we make it true and turn it into a big deal in our head. And just like it took a series of small but important actions to sink to that level, it takes small but important actions to climb out. Small wins are motivating because we see real progress being made, and the momentum built by those tiny changes adds up quickly. Getting out from under the funk of self-doubt depends on finding a small action to take that we can succeed at and will build on the next one. When we do that, we become unstoppable and success is more a matter of when and not if.
Building A Tribe of Believers : You shape your tribe and your tribe shapes you. After all, mastery of life is not a solo endeavor. When you surround yourself with people who bring out your best and embolden your thinking, you can do more, be more and give more than you ever could otherwise .
The people you hang out with will either fuel your self-doubt or fuel your confidence. So if you’re ready to make a change or take a chance, make sure you surround yourself with people who will help you to stay in action despite your doubts. Avoid those who won’t!
The shoe brand Nike’s slogan JUST DO IT says it all.. All we need to do is take that next small action that we can possibly take.
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