SafetyJune 13, 2023|5 min read
Overcoming Self-Doubt and Stepping into Your Power
Self-doubt is among the worst obstacles between you and achieving your goals. It can prevent truly great ideas from ever taking off. However, there are ways you can break through barriers and overcome obstacles. The only requirements are to equip yourself with the right tools and techniques.
How self-doubt affects your motivation
Excuses are a form of self-doubt and they always hold you back. Doubt often kills more dreams than reality or failure ever will. You must have a positive mindset to overcome these obstacles. If you ever wonder about how self-doubts hinder progress, here’s how.
It makes it hard for you to find clarity
Self-doubt casts a shadow on your dreams and blurs the lines of progress. Anything that started as a great idea now has flaws. You constantly change your mind, feel confused, and lack motivation for almost anything.
You start procrastinating
Once self-doubt has a firm root in your mind, willpower and motivation are the next to go. When you lack the motivation to do anything, procrastination prevents progress.
Your self-confidence fades away
Trust projects confidence. A lack of trust in yourself makes it impossible for others to trust you. Breaking through barriers requires a positive mindset above all else.
A lack of focus
A lack of choices results in a lack of focus. Brainstorming is always a good habit to have, however, there is a limit to it. When you are always thinking of a new idea, you will never launch any of them.
Being caught in a vicious cycle
Low self-confidence is a driving force behind self-doubt. Spending more time on it and fixating on it ultimately hurts your self-confidence. This problem is a vicious cycle that is difficult to escape once you get caught in it. When you find self-doubt creeping in, consider tackling the motives that are holding you back.
The science behind overthinking
There is a reason why many of us today struggle with overthinking. We have reached the point where we only consider what our brain says and nothing else. However, there are two other organs critical to guiding our life- the heart and the gut. Listening to the gut sounds outdated and we don’t trust them as often as we used to.
The heart not only pumps blood to all parts of the body, but it also exhibits some form of intelligence. According to research conducted by HeatMath, more than 50% of heart cells are neuron cells and not muscle cells. Hence, we can assume that the heart helps us feel what is best on an internal level that is linked to our intuition.
The gut instinct is equally an important decision-making tool we have ignored in recent years. Cognitive psychologist Gary Klein states that gut instinct is how we translate experience into actions and judgment.
Klein goes on to state that intuition is necessary for every person. According to Klein, people suffering from brain damage disconnect their emotional side from their decision-making side.
The key takeaways here are to stop listening to the voice of self-doubt and stop paying sole attention to what the brain says.
Overcoming self-doubt: breaking through barriers with a positive mindset
Self-confidence is the direct opponent of self-doubt. Confidence is not a skill you are simply born with. It is a skill we all build through action. Consider the psychological saying of the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle- Do good, be good. The first thing you can do to gain self-confidence and a positive mindset is to change your behaviors. This step drastically improves your self-perception and helps to break through barriers in your mind.
Listen to your gut
We should all relearn how to trust instinct and passion. Note, this doesn’t mean to ignore any thoughts from your brain. Rather, it means hearing all voices before concluding. Listening only to the brain or the heart eventually leads to trouble. The brain does not like experimentation or breaking the norms. Always listening to your brain lets self-doubt take over. Conversely, the heart encourages you to make risky decisions. This thinking makes you over-confident and prone to mistakes.
Silence the critic within you
Always remember that perfectionism is the enemy of change. Learn to silence the doubtful thoughts in your mind. Every time you overthink anything, learn to silence it and move on. Don’t get caught in self-doubt and can come at you when you least expect it. Take measures to silence your inner critic through positive affirmations and make room for a positive mindset instead.
Take ridicule in stride
Successful people are those that have more critics than fans. It is essential to take critique and use it to improve yourself. That positive mindset will help you go a long way. As you grow and develop, you find that you will connect with others. You will also have many who reject you.
Progress is not linear
We all have goals in our lives we strive to achieve. Some days things move smoothly and you feel real progress. Then, there are times when you feel stagnant or worse. Do not give up here as hitting a wall is always a part of your progression. When things get hard, it means you are ready for the next stretch.
Conclusion
As the author C.S Lewis said, “We are what we believe we are.” The shadow of self-doubt will loom over you and show up at unexpected times. Through positive affirmations and a positive mindset, you have the motivation you need to overcome it and reach new heights.