“Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.”
― William Shakespeare
Self-doubt can hold us back from a lot of things.
It can change our thinking and prevent us from doing exciting, fun, and even important things in life.
It’s not helpful at all. It makes getting started with things difficult, it holds us back from lots of opportunities that come our way.
From my experience with self-doubt, I’ve decided to share a few ways that helped me overcome self-doubt and achieve more. Don’t overthink too much, start slowly and you’ll see progress.
#1 Don’t compare yourself to others
One of the worst things you can do to feed your self-doubt is comparing yourself to others. Comparing yourself to other people and their success, what they share on social media and how they act can start to make you self-doubt very quickly.
I’ve been there.
I remember opening up Instagram and thinking why aren’t I as good or achieved as much as some people. But then, I realised I was comparing myself to what they show on social media.
Just like the web, not everything is true, this is also the case with Instagram and other social networks.
Instead, you should compare yourself to your past self. Take note on how far you have come in life. What you’ve achieved, what you’ve gone through and managed to overcome.
When I started doing this, I realised I was actually doing fairly well in life, and therefore continued to compare myself to my past and since doing that, I’ve had many more successes in life.
Be yourself, compare yourself to your past and continue growing.
#2 Don’t think everything is about you…
Not everything is about you. Whether someone said or did something doesn’t necessarily mean it’s because of you.
A good example is when I went on a pretty good date several weeks ago, we cracked on very well then all of a sudden a couple of weeks later, the conversation was starting to go quiet, then I didn’t hear anything back.
Yeah, I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sure what was going on and was slightly confused as we both had very good vibes.
Shortly after we stopped talking, I saw this girl update her Facebook relationship status and she was back with her ex.
That doesn’t mean I did anything wrong, we were completely fine but she might have wanted to give their relationship another shot. Instead of self-doubting, I thought maybe she’s busy, or had something important come up in life. Yeah, it would have been nice to receive a message saying so, but sometimes that doesn’t happen in life and we are left not knowing what happened.
So don’t start self-doubting, think about the other reasons something might have happened. Someone lash out at you? Don’t take it personally, some people have bad days or are currently experiencing a bad time in their life…
#3 Get a boost of optimism
Whenever I feel down or start self-doubting, I’d listen to some positive podcasts, videos or read a positive message.
Sometimes that’s all it takes.
Someone else’s motivation and constructive optimism can help you stand back up.
Audiobooks and podcasts were what worked for me. Failing that, I’ll load up YouTube. There’s plenty there.
It doesn’t have to be a long duration, just 10 minutes or so would be enough to get you back on track.
#4 Sharpen your skillset
Sometimes we self-doubt because we don’t have the skills or experiences to do something we really want to do. I’ve been in that position so many times, but rather than just giving up, I decided to learn new skills or sharpen my current skillset.
Not only did this help me overcome self-doubt but it helped me achieve more success in life and I’ve learnt so much more.
The best thing about this is that you don’t even need to spend a single dime. With the internet nowadays, there’s tons of helpful resources and training available on the web. Load up YouTube, give Google a search. If you really want to do something and overcome your self-doubt, go and sharpen your skillset, you won’t regret it.
If you think you don’t have the time to do so, you’re wrong.
We all have time.
It’s just how we spend it.
I like to think we are never busy in life, it’s just a matter of prioritising.
#5 Celebrate the small wins
It’s important to celebrate wins. Especially the small wins in life.
A small step forward is always better than nothing, especially when you achieve something. Although it might only be something small, it’s important to celebrate it and notice how well you’ve done.
Other people might not realise it, or they might not see it as a big win, but that shouldn’t stop you.
You’ve made successful progress, reward yourself and keep striving for more.
Whether you reward yourself with your favourite dinner, buy a piece of clothing, spend time on your favourite hobby, you should go ahead and do so.
It’s important for us to renew and recharge our motivation, striving for more, whilst enjoying the progress.
The above will definitely help you overcome self-doubt, you’ll be focused on more small and big wins in life.
