You stop. You start. You set goals. You abandon them again and again. Why is it so hard to realize your dreams?
The answer is buried in self-doubt. Whenever you start questioning yourself or even your ability to get things done, you start putting the brakes on progress. After all, if you’re only going to fail, why even try?
The key is to stop self-doubt in its tracks immediately and get out of your own way. Read on to find out how.
Remind Yourself No One is Looking
One of the biggest ways self-doubt gets to us, is we start worrying about how others perceive what we’re doing. We think the world is watching and just waiting for us to fail. Here’s a newsflash: people really are a lot more self-centered than you think. For the most part, everyone is so caught up in their own lives. Very few people are paying attention at all.
Have a Conversation
Self-talk can be especially deceptive, which is how we start believing it so easily. The problem is when you listen to all those negative messages, and it can derail you completely, especially if those messages start sounding reasonable. Here’s where talking to a friend or mentor can really help. By bringing these concerns to an outside observer, chances are they’ll very quickly help you to see things more clearly. Even if they don’t, you still benefit from talking things out.
Take a More Optimistic Approach
Self-doubt is a negative state. When you find yourself doing more tearing down than building up internally, it’s time for a shift in mood. Take a few minutes for yourself to meditate, listen to music, take a walk, or otherwise engage the senses differently. Focus on doing things to build a more positive mood. Self-doubt can’t touch an optimistic spirit!
Stop Making Comparisons
You’re never going to be happy when we start looking at whatever other people have done. This can be a nasty source of self-doubt, especially in this era of social media, where everyone shares the best of what they have or are going through. Instead of comparing yourself to other people, why not take a little different approach? Instead, compare your situation today to where you were last month or last year. You’ve come a long way! Focus on this instead.
In the end, the quickest way to put an end to self-doubt is to simply pay attention to it long enough to derail it entirely with a new thought. You simply don’t have time for self-doubt in your life. Once it’s stopped, the sky is the limit, and you’re ready to experience success like you never have before.
