Self-doubt is something we all experience in our day-to-day life. It is nothing new. But, it becomes a problem when it permeates every aspect of a person's life and prevents them from living life to the fullest. If self-doubt has become a problem for you, the danger is that you may decide to settle for mediocrity. This is because, self-doubt has the power to destroy your confidence, cripple you and stop you from pursuing your dreams.
Here are three secrets to overcoming self-doubt:
1.) Do not be afraid to make mistakes.
Self-doubt is grounded in fear, - fear that we will make mistakes or do the wrong thing. It is simply the fear of negative things happening. To overcome this fear, you will need to change your thought pattern. Human beings are not perfect and making a mistake is something we do. So don't allow mistakes to make you feel guilty and bad, rather, let them be your teacher. Remember that you can recover from making a mistake, so do not allow the fear of making one imprison you in self-doubt. Know that just because you make mistakes does not mean you are a failure. Go on and try something new, you will never grow unless you take risks.
2.) Do not allow your feelings to rule your life.
We were all born with the ability to make our decisions without any influence from outside. Self-doubt forces us to do things by placing outside pressure on us. In other to overcome it, you need to recognize that doubt is just a thought in your mind. It only has the power to stop you from enjoying life if you allow it. Remember that you have the ability to go forward and do whatever you need to do regardless of how doubtful you feel. I know that feelings are often very strong, and it is not always easy to go contrary to them. But, to be able to enjoy freedom from self-doubt you need to behave contrary to these feelings of doubt. Otherwise, it will continue to run your life and hold you in bondage.
3.) Practice at being positive.
Overcoming self-doubt is just a matter of doing away with one habit and forming another one. Discipline is required anytime a person is forming a new habit. Practice believing in yourself rather than doubting. Bear in mind that, in any situation you could either be wrong or right. So why not take the positive approach first? Purposefully try to look at the positive side of every situation. Look at the glass of water as half full instead of half empty.
Overcoming self-doubt begins with you. You must believe that you can achieve your destiny in spite of what other people say or what your mind and feelings say. May be you had negative messages fed into you since you were a child. It could have been a parent who excessively compared you to a sibling giving you the impression that you were flawed. But whatever the reason for your self-doubt and negative attitude towards yourself, the power to change lies with you. If you desire to be able to fulfill your dreams, then you must make a decision to start believing that you are a valuable person with a purpose to meet on this earth.