Have you ever head that voice in your head tell you that you’re not good enough or you idea isn’t going to work? That is your self doubt talking to you and self doubt is your worst enemy. No one is impervious to it’s destructive ways, but you don’t have to let it hold you back in life.
Self Doubt Limits Us
There is this new job that opened up that you want, but you don’t apply because you don’t think you’re going to get it. That is your self doubt limiting you. It puts these imaginary roadblocks in front of you and you’re staring at them in paralyzing fear, afraid to see what is on the other side. Self doubt holds us back from taking chances and advancing our lives or careers. It constantly tells you that you’re not good enough or you don’t deserve certain things in life. It wants to make you its prisoner and keep you locked in solitary confinement.
Self Doubt’s Evil Ways
Self doubt doesn’t just manifest itself into only being the voice in your head. It has other sneaky ways in which it holds you back. Procrastination is another manifestation of self doubt. How many times have you put something off or say you’ll doing something later only to realize you didn’t want to do it in case it didn’t turn out the way you want? How many blog posts or social media posts have you wanted to write, but always keep pushing them off for another time? The thoughts creep into your head that before you publish the post it has to be perfect. Well is anything ever perfect? Since you doubt it will ever come out the way you intended, you just put it on the back burner where it just sits and sits never seeing the light of day.
Another evil way is the lack of taking chances because you don’t think you’re good enough or qualified enough. You think you have this great idea for a new product or business and just when you’re about to pursue it, that voices pops in your head telling you, “Who would ever want that or you’ll just fail so why try?” So you just give up.
We have all these great plans and ideas and we hold ourselves back because of that voice in our head that feeds into our deepest fears. People will live a safe life and when they’re down to their last breath they have all these regrets of missed chances and opportunities that they let pass them by. Doubt does that. You hear that voice tell you why it won’t work out if you move cross country or it tells you that you’re not good enough to go ask that person you like out on a date. Think where you could be if you didn’t let the doubt inside you hold you back.
Overcoming Your Inner Critic
No one is immune from their inner critic filling their thoughts with doubts. Even the great ones suffer from it from time to time. You have to overcome the negativity that self doubt likes to sow in your mind. Is it easy, hell no, but it’s worth it. You have to find the ways to work for you. I have found that journaling my thoughts and feelings helps me see the bigger picture. With the written words I can see that my fears are just me having self doubt. I’m more positive now and every setback or failure is not the end of the world for me. I have a daily mantra of sayings that I say every morning out loud when everyone else is sleeping and it’s just me and my dogs hanging out on the coach before the house completely awakens.
I chose not to let self doubt hold me back anymore. I am good enough and I am going to live the live I want not the one I don’t deserve. There are still times that self doubt kicks in when I’m at a photo shoot and I fear my clients are going to see me as a fraud. That is my self doubt and just when it’s about to get hold of me, I tell myself if I was a fraud would I get hired by the NFL and MLB while having clients like Carnival Cruise Line and Golfsmith? If I was a fraud why is my photo being used by the NFL as one of the top 5 entered for an award?
It’s a daily battle with self doubt, but the more and more you fight it the less you will have to struggle with doubting your talents, your greatness and what you deserve.