10 Powerful Ways To Overcome Self-Doubt

“Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt” ~William Shakespeare

For a very long time I struggled with how to overcome self-doubt, I struggled to see the value and worth that were instilled in me by my every experience, I would continually run myself down and get enclosed into a limiting shell.

I couldn’t see the light, value, beauty and strength that I carried, I couldn’t appreciate myself, I was crippled by imposter syndrome and this created a bridge and a platform for self-sabotage.

It was a crippling and limiting feeling, I found myself in situations where I was conflicted as to the next move to make, sometimes I was certain that I would be badass with that move, but somehow I couldn’t just get past the fear that makes me doubt my capabilities and reduce my worth.

One thing I didn’t realize was the greatest hindrances to genuine growth is self-doubt. And this realization stirred up a flare in me to know how to overcome self-doubt and comparison.

I became determined to eliminate the feeling of insecurity, to silence the voice inside my head that says I am not good enough, I am always wrong, my emotions are not worthy to be shared, I am not beautiful, I am not worthy to be loved, I can’t be successful and so many other negative thoughts.

The truth is self-doubt kills your confidence and distracts you from becoming the best version of yourself. Self-doubt is birthed by fear, the fear that you are not good enough to crush your goals; the fear that you will never be able to actualize your dreams and live a life worth cherishing.

Sometimes, our fears are our downfalls. Other times, they are confidence boosters. You get to choose which one you want them to be and take control when those fears choose to be limiting.

Knowing how to overcome self-doubt and insecurity is something that we all have pondered about at one time or the other in our lives.

It could be triggered by the limiting beliefs we nurture, the negativity that several challenges expose us to, the words of toxic individuals but all through our journey of self-realization we have to learn how to overcome self-doubt, how to remove doubt from our minds, how to stop selling ourselves short, how to boost our confidence and unleash our inner strength.

A few years back, before fully delving into the world of blogging, I had tried and failed at so many things. I tried freelancing but I got too choked up with college and I had to quit. I tried my hands on many other things as well but they did not seem to be my forte.

Somehow, I fell in love with writing and creating content. I really did not know how it worked but I had a feeling that was what I was meant to do. For a long time, I had an internal battle on what exactly I was going to do. I knew I had the potentials and I needed to make a living off my writing but I was scared.

Various questions flooded my heart. What if I fail? What if my writing isn’t worth it? What if people don’t read my articles? What if I can’t keep up with online pressure? What if I can’t build a career out of this? Am I making a mistake by investing so much on this path? blah… blah… blah?

I had so many what-ifs roaming around my mind but one day, I decided to take action! I killed the self-doubt and embraced total confidence. I decided that it was time to take the bull by the horn. I mean, what’s the worst that could happen? I’d probably fail? Well, as I would later realize, failure was my greatest fear.

There are millions of people who are currently facing similar challenges. They are scared of trying out something new or reaching to achieve their goals. If you are one of these people, then you have to pay attention to the latter part of the article.

Anyways, I did take the bull by the horn and today, I can say that I am a successful content creator living my best life. In this article, I will be giving you tips on how you can overcome that doubt preventing you from being the best you can be and taking charge of your life.

What Is Self-Doubt?

Self-doubt is that persuasive and disturbing voice that holds you back from achieving your goals. If you want to make progress in whatever you set your heart to do, you must learn to cripple self-doubt.

Self-doubt and anxiety are major mental blockades to achieving your goals. Basically, self-doubt is the lack of confidence in one’s own ability.

What Causes Self-Doubt?

Comparing yourself with others
Feeling like an imposter

Self-doubt shows up in such limiting statements;

I can’t
I shouldn’t
I’m terrible
I’m never good enough
I don’t have any strength
I am not worthy
I cannot make it
It is impossible

The truth is that self-doubt will always lurk around, there will be things that will happen to put you in a doubting state and you have to know how to overcome self-doubt.

Feel free to share stories of when you overcame your doubts and went for your dreams in the comment section. I would love to read them!

Now, grab a bar of chocolate and enjoy the ride…

1. Bathe Your Mind In Self-Worth And Confidence Affirmations

This is a very important thing to do in knowing how to overcome self-doubt. The truth is, no one would fight your self-doubt as much as you will. The crux of the battle lies in your hands and you need to take the bull by the horn by speaking up for yourself.

Whenever the thoughts of self-doubts creep into your head, you should learn to open your mouth to say “NO!” Words are powerful and the more you say positive words to yourself the better for you. In your bid to overcome self-doubt, you would need to constantly remind yourself that you are capable of being the best you can.

Look at yourself in the mirror and tell yourself that you can accomplish whatever you set your heart to do. The more you say these words of affirmation, the more your mind gets in tune with the positivity you aim to achieve and in no time, you would be on your way to accomplishing your goals.

You can wake up in the morning every day and declare these positive affirmations;

– I am a masterpiece.

-. Fear won’t stop me, I can fly!

– I am entirely capable of being whole without validation from others. I am learning how to validate myself.

– I am open and available to receive, claim and go get the very best that life has to offer.

– I am so much more than my mistakes. I am growing from my past. I am learning from my shortcomings.

– I am fully capable of achieving my goals, pursuing my passion, and nurturing my heart’s desires. My purpose is mine. I will work hard to stand in courage, self-confidence and commitment.

– I can change. I was not born to stay the same. Evolution is a part of my process, and I am learning to lean in and trust every step of the way.

– I am confident in my work. I have the ability to create meaningful offerings. I will leave a legacy of courage, resilience and abundance behind.

– I am worthy of the love that I pour into others. I will do better at filling myself up with adoration, time and respect.

2. Create A Thought Replacement Playlist

Negative thought playlist ———–Positive thought playlist

I am not good enough——-I’m just as worthy as others.

I can’t do it ———- I can do whatever I put my mind to.

I am not strong enough——— I’m strong enough to deal with this.

Nobody cares——— People do care about me.

There’s no point in trying———Here’s what I can do differently.

I messed up too much to start over——- I’ve accepted a mistake or misstep and here’s my recovery plan.

When you’re stuck in a “not good enough” headspace, changing what you tell yourself can completely turn things around.

3. Don’t Beat Yourself Up About It

You would never achieve your goals if you continue to brood over the mistakes your self-doubt allowed you to make.

Knowing how to overcome self-doubts requires you to learn how to move on. If you do not move on past the mistakes and errors you have made, it will be difficult to progress.

The feeling of self-doubt sometimes thrives on the feeling of inadequacy birthed by the mistakes of the past. So, instead of beating up of yourself about past mistakes, ensure you stand up strong, and look ahead for opportunities to do better and be the best you can be.

4. Talk To Someone About It

Another way to deal with self-doubt is to speak up. If you have been battling with self-doubt for a long time and you have not seen any headway, it might be because you have not spoken to someone. As independent and strong as one may seem, they will always need the help of others.

The reason you have been struggling for that long might be because you aren’t strong enough to fight it and you need help. You might need counseling from someone who is more experienced. Remember, winning the battle against self-doubt is a personal victory but the process is not always personal.

There are times you would have to reach out to professionals in the field. Overcoming self-doubt is a long process and do not hesitate to reach out to someone for help if you think you need one.

Remember when there is no enemy within the enemy outside can do no harm, when you refuse to allow any doubts in your mind then no doubts from others will cloud your judgement. When you create a strong mind there can be no other that will defeat you with their words or with their judgement.

Wherever you are right now, whatever you are struggling with I want you to remember this every doubt is a goal lost! You have the power and strength to move higher and create your dream life so do not allow yourself to be limited in any way.

If you need someone to talk to for more direction and guide feel free to send me an email or direct message on Instagram and I will be more than ready to help in any way I can!

5. Start Keeping A Journal

Writing is therapeutic. It’s a beautiful thing when you can bleed your feelings into the pages of a book. You could get a copy of my journal on the blog.

A journal avails you the opportunity to talk to yourself. Also, with a journal like The Life Compass, it would be easier to overcome the menace because every exercise in the journal is tailored to empower you to win the fight of self-improvement, confidence and growth.

Journals give you the freedom to bleed the thoughts of your mind. Sometimes, the secret to winning the battle against self-doubt might just be admitting that you have insecurities and are willing to work your way out.

Also, you could use the journal for outlining practicable resolutions that would aid you in winning the battle.

6. Read, Watch And Listen Only To Things That’ll Help You Fight It

Fighting your self-doubt is a holistic approach. You will never be able to fight it if you still open yourself to things that trigger it. Your fight includes censoring what you read, watch and listen to.

Avoid paying attention to things that fuel that feeling of self-doubt. Rather listen to motivational podcasts, watch movies and read books that give tips on how to overcome self-doubt.

Reading, watching and listening to only things that fuel your self-doubt is completely suicidal. You will never be able to win the fight if you open your heart to content that groom the disastrous feeling.

7. See A Setback As Temporary

One other cause of self-doubt is setbacks. There are times in our lives when we try certain things out thinking they would work out in our favor but they don’t. Life gives us a huge blow and we begin to drown in the impossibility of things. It is quite a terrible feeling that makes us feel inadequate.

But here’s one thing I do when life throws setbacks at me; I see the setbacks as opportunities. The moment you begin to see setbacks as opportunities, you start to have a change of mindset and see things in another light. So, if you want to overcome that feeling of self-doubt, you must learn to see setbacks as temporary.

8. Contest Your Inner Voice

So many times, we are lost in the rumble of our inner voice, that inner voice that is always present as we take the next big step. Everyone has heard that little voice in their head, for some people that voice tells you to take risks and seize the day but for others, it is not always so encouraging.

Your inner voice may tell you to take the easy route, convince you that you are not good enough to succeed, you are not capable of attaining a level of success and this inner voice isn’t always right that is why it is important to contest your inner voice each time it tries to change you or raises questions of doubt, tries to instill fear in you or limit you.

Simply take a step back and ask yourself is this really how I feel? Is this really true? How valid is this conclusion? Because most of the time our inner voice raises false concerns, fears, and critics just to limit us, protect us from coming out of our comfort zone or trying something new.

For you to know how to overcome self-doubt you have to be prepared and ready to fight back against your inner voice if it tells you something negative or makes you doubt yourself prove your inner voice wrong.

9. Raise Your Own Bar

One of the most important things to know in learning how to overcome self-doubt is raising your own bar, sharpening your skills, investing in your mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing.

A lot of successful people have given pep talks on the importance of investing in yourself, expanding your knowledge and learning new things and I not disputing the power of self-investment but one thing we always fail to understand that builds up self-doubt is that our journey and experiences are totally different from the successful and motivational individuals hence our patterns and situations will be different.

Through our journey of survival, we are faced with certain challenges, obstacles, limitations that are meant to build up our own story and equip us to take charge of our lives.

Many people develop self-doubt because they raise the bar way too high, they conceive high expectations, they expect themselves to match the most knowledgeable, productive and successful people in the world.

But it takes a lot of time, commitment, investment and practice to reach that level of motivation and productivity and hence we must be gentle with ourselves, taking one step at a time as we invest and broaden our horizon.

It’s healthy to learn from the tricks and habits of these successful people but you need to set your own standards, you should always focus on raising your own bar rather than trying to match someone else.

10. Celebrate Your Small Wins

If you do not know how to celebrate your small wins, you will never be able to overcome your self-doubts. Learn to always celebrate the little wins you have. Those little wins you have, try to celebrate them.

The more you celebrate those wins, the more your mind gets accustomed to making wins and when your mind gets accustomed to winning, you start to win the battle against self-doubt.

Celebrating your little wins will get renew and recharge your motivation and make taking actions feel more exciting and fun. And that will push self-doubts aside so that you can keep winning.

So, there you have it! Those are 10 powerful ways you can overcome self-doubt. Self-doubt is a dangerous feeling. It’ll never allow you achieve your goals and become the best version of yourself.

Has self-doubt ever deprived of something you should have achieved? Have you ever missed out on something huge because you did not believe enough in yourself? Feel free to reach out to me. I’d be pleased to read your stories in the comment section below.

FOR YOU:

Hey there! If you have read up to this point, I’d like to congratulate you! I believe that by now, you are more conversant with tips on how to overcome self-doubt.

Do not allow the dangerous feeling of not being enough keep you from achieving what you are meant to achieve. I would not be a blogger today if I had listened to the voice of self-doubt years ago.

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Personal Development