Self-doubt spreads like wildfire within.
Often birthed from fear, insecurity, over-analyzing and worry, the negative consequences of self-doubt are far reaching and can paralyze your growth both personally and professionally.
Doubts fester and transform into limiting beliefs, renting space in your brain that may keep you from taking action and moving forward. They perpetuate an unhealthy cycle of destructive self-talk, leading to decreased confidence and a defeatist attitude.
How you speak to yourself is crucial in determining your ability to succeed at anything – at work, at home, in life overall. Learning to trust that a different outcome is possible, one where you win, one where you find peace, one where you advance and grow is the answer.
Flipping perspective and cultivating self-trust may not feel easy or natural at first but over time your growth mindset will adjust and self-doubt will minimize.
How to move beyond self-doubt and learn to trust what is possible.
1. Be skeptical of your own thoughts
Question the evidence for feeling the way you do. Push back on yourself a bit and put your beliefs to the test. What proof do you have that your assumed outcome is the one that will prevail?
2. Leave negative past experiences behind
Adverse generalizations can be further fantasized to the extreme. Things went horribly wrong before, so it is certain to happen again. When previous outcomes to similar situations or decisions did not go how we had hoped there is a tendency to carry that residual uncertainty forward and apply it to future circumstances. That recall effect can bring negative bias along and paralyze or reduce our ability to reevaluate.
No two situations or circumstances are exactly alike. What is different about this situation, or different about your own self, that will allow you to evaluate it, separate and distinct from the past?
3. Create a mental highlight reel. Reflect on past achievements, big and small.
No matter your age you have overcome challenge, punched adversity in the face and scored big. At work, at home, in life. Winning is familiar territory for you but it’s sometimes easier to forget how far you have come and what you have accomplished. Remind yourself of those moments or phases in life where you persevered, made it through and won.
Spend an intentional amount of time in your thoughts and write down these achievements as you recall them. Make a list that you can revisit and reference on a regular basis – this is your truth. What was the special sauce, a-ha moment or foundational why that carried you over the finish line in those moments?
4. Surround yourself with supportive people
Your circle is valuable real estate. The energy you invite in is intentional. Who you choose to spend your time with is exactly that, your choice. Choose wisely and evaluate what type of energy serves you best. Who are the people that encourage you to grow and become the best version of yourself?
5. Recognize the strength and opportunity in vulnerability
Vulnerability is often viewed or perceived as a sign of weakness, but it can become of one your greatest superpowers. Inviting vulnerability in allows you to connect to your inner thoughts in a way that makes you not only feel them but see them.
Becoming aware of the role your emotions play is important because once you identify them, you can peel them away from the truth. What comes into view more clearly when you take a few bricks off your highly guarded wall?
Shifting your mindset and cultivating healthy habits that support self-trust over self-doubt does not have to be overwhelming or feel unattainable. Start by practicing with one or two of the steps above and enjoy the new outcomes of your fresh perspective!