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| TIPS TO OVERCOME SELF-DOUBT #VitaminG | | |
GAGAN SIDHU
We all doubt ourselves to the point that we make our decisions based on what others want out of us, not what we want for ourselves. Everyone feels self-doubt at some point. But, if you don't address feelings of self-doubt, they can eat away at your confidence and shrink your opportunities. " Self-doubt is a special kind of hell ". A small failure makes you question yourself and your abilities and, next thing you know, you feel like you aren't good enough or smart enough to do anything. And that's about the time you stop trying.
Overcome self-doubt by adopting a new perspective, improving your self-confidence, and taking steps to enjoy a brighter future.
"Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt."
We have discovered a few things that help with self-doubt and boost confidence that may help you too:
1) STOP COMPARING YOURSELF & YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS
I find that I doubt myself the most when I'm comparing what I'm doing with what other people are doing. When I compare my accomplishments to a colleague's, I start feeling inadequate. Your colleague's accomplishments are not a litmus test to grade your own success.
One key thing to remember when you find yourself in this mental pattern is that everyone is on his or her own journey.
I find that I am most successful in my personal and professional life when I am following what works for me and what makes me feel good, even if it is different from what someone I look up to is doing. All of us are UNIQUE in our own ways, so STOP COMPARING now.
2) DON'T FOCUS ON WHAT OTHER PEOPLE SAY
One of the key reasons as to why people develop things such as a lack of confidence stem from the belief that they are not as good as they appear to be. This is often the result of anxiety about what people think, something that is often easy to amplify in one's own head. While it is important to take criticism from others and internalize it, there is a point where you have to let go of other people's perceptions of you, as it can ultimately be more negative than positive and a true deterrent for those looking for a sense of mental clarity and relief.
If you hold dreams for your future then at some point you have to let go of everyone else's opinion; otherwise, you'll find yourself in a constant state of self-doubt.
3) RECITE EMPOWERING AFFIRMATIONS
When you lack self-confidence, you can trick your brain into thinking you feel empowered by repeating a mantra. Surrounding yourself with things to boost your confidence have been shown time and again to be effective ways to bring your mood up and decrease the power of your self-doubt.
Certain words or phrases have the capacity to shift your thinking and help you believe in your abilities.
4) START KEEPING A JOURNAL
Keeping a journal can be a helpful habit for many reasons. When it comes to self-doubts it can help you to:
Keep a realistic record of your life. And help you to remember the positive things, the successes you have had and how you have overcome obstacles if you are prone to remembering things with a negative slant.
Gain clarity more easily. It is often easier to alleviate fears and doubts and to gain clarity if you have an issue laid out on paper or in a computer document rather than if you try to go through it all in your mind. By making lists of pros and cons, going through your thoughts and emotions and similar events from the past and by writing down different perspectives on the issue it becomes easier to find solutions and to see your challenge in a clearer and more level-headed way.
5) CELEBRATE THAT SMALL STEP AND WIN
When you've taken one small step forward and you're done with it then you have a win. It may be a small one but it's still a win. So celebrate it.Have a tasty snack or your favorite food for dinner, spend some time on your favorite hobby or buy yourself something you've wanted for some time now.
This will renew and recharge your motivation and make taking action feel more exciting and fun. And that will push self-doubts aside so that you can keep moving and get more small and bigger wins.
6) TALK TO SOMEONE ABOUT IT
When you keep your thoughts on the inside they can become distorted, exaggerated and not very much in line with reality or reasonable expectations.
This is very much true when it comes to self-doubting thoughts.
So let them out into the light. Talk to someone close to you about your self-doubts.
Just letting them out and saying them out loud can often help you to hear how exaggerated these thoughts have become. And by talking about those doubts with someone that is supportive you can get a change in perspective.
7) TAKE ACTION AND CREATE!
Self-doubt can come up for many different reasons, it'll normally appear just at the time you are about to make a decision or about to start something new.
When this happens it is important to do it anyway, to take action in-spite of the self-doubt. It's the work and the action that's the vital part in this story. As long as you continue to create and move forward, it'll give you the ammunition, not to stop the self-doubt, but to stop the self-doubt from stopping you!
Now you have the necessary tools, when self-doubt rear its ugly head for you. Are you going to let it stop you from taking action or are you going to push on through? |
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