Your Biggest Enemy: Self-Doubt

I would argue that our biggest enemy is self-doubt.

Self-doubt will destroy more dreams, it suffocates them.

Self-doubt keeps more people from climbing out of their darkness and into the light of possibility.

I was originally going to write this week’s newsletter about fear, but this morning I was under attack by self-doubt.

I started hearing the voice of self-doubt creep into my mind.

It started saying, “There’s no way you’re going to be able to be a great mindset coach.”

“What makes you think you can succeed at this when there are so many others out there?”

“Stop wasting your time with this and just stick with what you’re doing.”

And the thoughts went on and on and on, until I shut them down.

I shut them down and got to work.

I shut them down and replaced them with confident thoughts.

Here’s the thing about self-doubt, it’s always going to be there.

It’s always going to show up and try to ruin the party.

Self-doubt is like a virus, and it will spread if not addressed.

We must learn how to tame it and move forward in the face of it.

You’re going to have to fight to tame it, you’re going to have to fight every day.

In order to fight against it, you’ve got to be prepared with a strategy.

I’m going to show you six ways you can fight and win against self-doubt.

1) You’re Never Going To Be Ready

“Don’t wait, the time will never be just right.” - Napolean Hill

First, it’s important to understand that when you’re taking on a new challenge, pushing yourself to grow, you’re never going to feel ready or prepared.

Anytime I was taking on something big, something that was going to change my life, I never felt ready.

You need to understand this and keep it in mind when you decide to take action.

You will always have self-doubt.

“The biggest thing I've learned is just to not doubt myself as much as I do. Having self-doubt is definitely necessary, but it's about not letting it get in the way. When it turns into fear, you run into problems.” – Rick Hoffman

The goal is to stop the self-doubt before it turns into fear and prevents you from taking action.

The goal here is to be aware of the self-doubt when it shows up, this is normal.

2) Remember Your Past Achievements

When I experience self-doubt, I like to have a list of past achievements handy.

Take the time to list out all the accomplishments you’ve had in the past.

Once you get this list together, go through each one and think back to how you felt when you decided to take on that new challenge.

If I had to guess, you felt self-doubt.

Next, write out what you did to be successful in completing that challenging goal and how you felt when you were done.

Really close your eyes and visualize this; re-live the feelings you felt during the challenge and how great it was when you accomplished it.

You had a goal, a challenging goal, worked through the struggles, and came out successful.

This will give you the spark you need to move forward with your current challenge.

3) Have The Right People In Your Corner

“Struggling with confidence and self-doubt are things that everyone goes through, especially kids, but I set goals, worked hard and leant on the people around me.” – Israel Folau

I can’t stress this enough; you have to have people around you that are going to support you and help you become a better person.

I believe it’s better not having anyone in your corner than to have negative people in your corner, telling you to quit or that it’s impossible.

If you have negative people in your life that are constantly holding you back, get them out of your life now.

Distance yourself from them.

I know this is easier said than done, especially when it’s a close friend or family member.

If this is the case, have the conversation with them and let them know that you will not put up with their negativity anymore.

You’re going to have to set boundaries.

4) Positive Self-Talk

“You do not need to pay attention to those voices within you that create pain, or make you feel less competent, smart or able.” – Sanaya Roman

You must manage the internal dialogue in your head.

If you don’t, it will be constant self-doubt and negative talk.

I talk to myself a lot.

I talk to myself even more when I’m in the trenches trying to make something happen.

When I hear that voice of self-doubt and negativity show up, I’m battling back with positive words.

You can make this easier when you have affirmations at the ready.

I have certain things I say to myself in certain situations.

When I’m feel down, tired, or just not feeling it that day, I say “HEF.”

HEF stands for Happy, Energetic, and Focused.

Just saying “HEF” to myself, gets me refocused and back on track with my positive thinking.

When I’m driving home in traffic or start feeling irritated about something, I say to myself, “I have a choice.”

This reminds me that I get to decide how I react to the situation.

I get to decide if I’m going to choose anger, frustration, irritation, or if I’m going to choose gratitude and make the best of the situation.

Find a word, phrase, or affirmation that works for you in different situations.

5) Address Your Past Trauma

“Fight your fears and you’ll be in battle forever. Face your fears and you’ll be free forever.” – Lucas Jonkman

One of the best ways to quiet the voice of self-doubt is to address trauma from your past.

Nothing will anchor you more from achieving your goals than your past trauma.

When you don’t address your past, it weighs you down in the present moment.

The voice of self-doubt is loud because you have the current voice of self-doubt amplified by the self-doubt of the past.

Address your past head-on until you are comfortable with it.

6) Reframe It

When I experience self-doubt, I know I’m on the right track.

Self-doubt tells me that I’m challenging myself and getting outside of my comfort zone.

This is where you want to be, outside of your comfort zone.

This is where the growth happens.

This is where big things happen in your life.

Stop looking at self-doubt as a negative voice that’s stopping you from accomplishing your goals, and start looking at it as the one saying, “I bet you can’t do that.”

Prove that voice wrong.

When you experience self-doubt, smile, knowing you’re about to do something big.

To Summarize:

Self-doubt will never go away; however, you can learn to muffle the voice of self-doubt and take action in the face of it.

It’s important to have tools available at your disposal to fight back against self-doubt.

The tools discussed in this article were:

1) Understanding that you’ll never feel ready to face your challenges, accept that and move forward.

2) Remembering your past accomplishments to remind yourself of what you’re capable of achieving.

3) Having the right people in your corner supporting your growth.

4) Using positive self-talk to counter the self-doubt.

5) Addressing your past trauma so that it’s not controlling your present moment.

6) Reframing your self-doubt and looking at it as an indicator that you’re on the right path, you’re growing.

“You do not need to pay attention to those voices within you that create pain, or make you feel less competent, smart or able.” – Sanaya Roman

Stay positive and take action!

As always, thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter.

Mark