The worst enemy of success is self-doubt.
Has self-doubt ever stopped you from doing something you longed to do?
Whether you want to run a marathon, ask for a promotion, start a new business, play an instrument, or even learn something new, does that inner voice of self-doubt keep nagging at you; where that voice in your head keeps whispering, “You can’t do that, or you’re not good enough?”
Many years back, I wanted to do a Fire Walk…
Even before giving myself a chance, the soundtrack began to loop, and self-doubt kicked in. What if… “There’s no way I could be successful at this… Who am I to even try?”
Soon my self-doubt monster began to talk me out of it. I got back in the car, ready to drive home. But then I thought, “if I turn around, then I’m defeating myself and will regret it as I’ve done so many other times before.”
It made me realize that my self-doubt was just FEAR.
False Emotions Appearing Real, or F*** Everyone and Run!
Like my own experience, self-doubt will try to snuff our dreams and hold us back. But don’t let it! You can achieve what you want, one step at a time.
Use the following tips to fight the self-doubt monster and reclaim your confidence.
- Recognize that what you’re feeling Is self-doubt: What may seem like an obstacle is most likely your self-doubt monster rearing its ugly head to justify why you can’t or shouldn’t do something. That’s all made up in your mind in the first place.
- Create a self-doubt response system: Self-doubt is a negative emotion. Limiting beliefs, negative thoughts, or frustrations can trigger it; and we’re more likely to accept that we’ve failed without ever having started.
We may even begin to talk ourselves out of that goal or others. Self-doubt is only as strong as you allow it to be. If you continue to justify why you can’t do something, you’re giving self-doubt complete control over your emotions, actions, and, ultimately, your future.
Don’t let that little voice inside your head stop you. Keep turning down the volume when you recognize it is there. Soon enough, you’ll have rewired your brain to auto-fill positive responses only.
Shut down thoughts by either saying: Stop, Cancel Clear, Quiet, Erase, or Delete!
Affirm yourself in the First-person, Present Tense, and Positive. Fake it until you make it.
- Your brain is highly programmable: Rewire it!
- Stop negative thoughts: Every time you think that you can’t do something, that you’re not good enough or smart enough, STOP those thoughts in their tracks!!! And consciously replace them with the opposite as many times as it takes.
- Turn every I can’t into I can and every I won’t into I will, and I am. Eventually, your brain will default to positive thinking.
- Set your plans in motion. Work toward small successes.
- Create a mantra (that shuts down self-doubt). Put this mantra on repeat, so all you hear is your own pep talk telling you, “You got this!”
And yes, I did that fire walk and several others since then.
To Your Success,
Peak Performance Coach