How to Manage and Overcome Self-Doubt

We were each created uniquely yet equally. While we may come from different races, backgrounds, cultures and experience, there are a few commonalities. We bleed the same color blood and we all have moments of self-doubt. We all face things in life that challenge us to step outside of our comfort zones. There are some things that we are more comfortable and confident doing than others.

While self-doubt can be experienced in all aspects of our lives, right now I want us to center our attention on the self-doubt we feel when it comes to pursuing our goals.

Do you have any goals that you have been wanting to pursue but you’ve been putting it off for awhile now? Or, maybe you have started pursuing your goal, but you’ve reached a step that you’re hesitant to take? If your answer is yes, my question to you is, are you ready to do what it takes to overcome your self-doubt so that you can stop procrastinating and pursue your goal; take that next step?

If you’re ready, let’s dive in!

First, I want you to know that self-doubt is something we ALL struggle with from time to time. Even the most well known, most confident and successful people on earth experience moments of self-doubt. However, the game-changer for many, is knowing how to manage their thoughts and feelings of self-doubt.

In a recent post, we discussed the power of negative self-talk. And, one of the points I shared, is relevant here as well. It is that negative thoughts will always come, we can’t just get rid of them for good. But, that is why we must learn to manage those negative thoughts, because most often our actions align with what our thoughts, beliefs and intents are.

In order to manage your thoughts, you must be self-aware. You want to be alert, to where, when a negative thought pops up, you catch it and correct it. You sit and observe the negative thought or emotion and then you release it. You release it by replacing it with a positive affirmation. This is why I always suggest creating a habit of writing + speaking positive affirmations daily. It helps rewire your thought pattern. So when something that is not in alignment with your positive thought pattern arises, you flag it, catch it and correct it. The more you do it, the more self-aware you become and the easier it becomes to do.

So, what is self-doubt exactly?

Self-doubt is feelings of uncertainty or lack of confidence in your ability to do a specific thing.

If you can identify with any of the signs listed above, you may find this helpful!

Here is a List of Things That Can Help You to Manage and Overcome Self-Doubt

▪︎ Look into discovering the root reason of why

▪︎ Social Media Detox

▪︎ Therapy

▪︎ Journaling

▪︎ Practice positive self-talk

▪︎ Remind yourself of past achievements

▪︎ Avoid comparing yourself to others

▪︎ Challenge yourself routinely to step outside of your comfort zone

▪︎ Focus MORE on WHY you want to pursue a goal and LESS on why you’re not ready, qualified, worthy, good enough etc.

▪︎ Put some R.E.S.P.E.C.T. on your WORTH. Validate yourself and hold that to heart. Work on not allowing your confidence to rise and fall based on the opinions other people have about you! How YOU see yourself is what matters most! If you don’t believe in yourself, if you don’t speak life over your hopes and dreams, if you don’t practice positive self-talk, you’re less likely to even accept validation or compliments from other people anyway.

A good way to gage where you’re at and how you’re doing is by becoming self-aware of how you react when people compliment you. If you have a tendency of denying or brushing off compliments, all the time, this could be a sign that you struggle with self-doubt.

What I would recommend next is to spend some time looking into the root cause of the self-doubt you feel.

If you’re not sure where to start, I encourage answering the following questions as journal entries:

▪︎ How do you feel about yourself, specifically, your ability to puruse and achieve your goals?

▪︎ How long have you felt this way?

▪︎ Is there anyone who has contributed to your beliefs about yourself?

▪︎ Did you experience something in your past that caused you to feel these same feelings of self-doubt?

▪︎ What do you do when you feel self-doubt? (Procrastinate, Avoidance, Anxious, etc.)

▪︎ How would you like to see your negative thoughts about yourself/your abilities change?

▪︎ What do you want to believe about yourself?

▪︎ What do you do/say when people compliment you?

▪︎ How would you like to feel when people compliment you?

▪︎ What can you do to transform your thoughts? (Practice positve self-talk, etc.)

▪︎ What will happen if you don’t change your thought patterns and beliefs about yourself? What will happen if you do change your thought pattern and beliefs about yourself?

Answering these questions should help you get to the root of your self-doubt and to also begin strategizing how you can manage and overcome it. It’s important to get to the root of why you are doubting yourself and where it stems from so that when you do any of the things suggested on the list above, it can be effective.

Also note that if you feel like you’d do better with additional support in working through these questions, therapy or life coaching are great alternatives to just solely going the self-help route.

I hope that this information has been helpful. Thank you for reading!

As 2022 comes to an end, many of us have begun reflecting on the year. If you feel like you have been procrastinating or struggling to take the next steps towards pursuing and achieving your goals, I invite you to learn more about the Set Goals & Slay E:Course designed to help you to align your goals & dreams with the ✅️ mindset and ✅️ game-plan to execute! If you want 2023 to be the year where you finally step outside of your comfort zone and pursue your goals & dreams, this is a great way to start!