How To Shift Your Mindset & Overcome Self-Doubt
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As a young entrepreneur, launching my first business at 22, I struggled with self-doubt. This later carried on to my next business (which failed) and onto my current one at Craveable Social. But, as I’ve gotten older and wiser, through conversations with business mentors, and hearing others and their stories, this is a common thing amongst us all. But, you don’t have to be an entrepreneur to struggle with this. Everyone struggles with this at some point or another.
How to overcome self-doubt?
Reset your mind. Make room in your life today for your future success. Sounds easier said than done, right? Asking for help when you're doubting yourself seems like an impossible task. But building trust in yourself can help boost your decision-making and self-confidence, which can make life feel a little easier and more enjoyable. Here are some tips to help you learn how to trust yourself.
What causes self-doubt?
You can waste so much time by doubting yourself when you really should be using that energy to take risks and focusing on making yourself happy. YOU CAN DO IT! You deserve to get everything that you want out of life; you just have to go out and get it.
Force yourself to take risks and get out of your comfort zone. Life is too short. There's no time for Shoulda-Coulda-Woulda's. NOT. AT. ALL.
Do what you’ve always wanted to do. That business you’ve wanted to start but were too scared to start. That trip you’ve wanted to take, but through you didn't have enough money to take. That goal you wanted to accomplish but were too scared to start. That starting step to better health but were discouraged each time you caved in to cravings. Don’t listen to anyone, DO YOU. You were given one life; live it!
When going from point A to point B there are two routes you can take: there's the hard way and then there's the easy way.
Is self-doubt a weakness?
The hard way is by letting limiting beliefs and external factors determine your life. The hard way is also by not setting non-measurable goals and ambitions. The hard way of starting with tools and quick fixes without knowing or understanding your why and your true purpose. The hard way is also repeating bad behaviors that do not serve a purpose that does not sound like any of the paths that you are taking right now.
These are the things that you haven’t set measurable goals; Ambitions that maybe just kind of either sit in your head or on a piece of paper and don't have actions against them. If you were like me, I was always someone that was buying a lot of stuff and trying to get a “magic pill” but there's no pill or quick fix a miss managed life and then doing those behaviors you know that you shouldn't be doing; that thing but you continue to do it because it's become a habit, a really bad habit that seems hard to turn off.
Continue on the hard path, and you’ll be setting yourself up for failure which will create a vicious circle of having self-doubt, and you’ll eventually never muster up the courage to do things that make you feel uncomfortable to start. It’ll create mental chatter of self-doubt.
How do you break the cycle of self-doubt?
There's an easy way to teach you the easy way so the easy way to get from point A to point B is for things to identify and measure your goals and be intentional. You need to start small, practice micro-steps, and give yourself a win every single day. The easy way to start with practice and work towards your goals is by setting small, measurable goals and celebrating the small wins and accomplishments each day. The more and more you put these into play, the more and more you start to create these healthy habits that will get you moving forward to your goals.
How do you start trusting yourself?
There's no one more important to trust than yourself is a self-doubt paradox. You should be able to trust that you know what's best for yourself, but sometimes we lose trust in ourselves after we make a mistake or after someone criticizes us harshly or constantly. It can feel more difficult to make decisions when you can't trust yourself because you fear you'll make the wrong choice. Or you might be more prone to criticizing your own decisions after you make them.
Know and set your goals
Without thought, finish the sentence: One thing stopping me from my goals is...
Be fearless in the pursuit of your dreams and goals. You are ready for challenges, ready for success. You are ready to face obstacles? ready for opportunities. And ready for happiness. Say it loud: I'm not afraid to do this.
Now, set 5 actionable items for each goal. Each day, do something to work towards your goal by working on each actionable item.
Give yourself permission to fail
Give yourself permission to fail. It’s OK to fail from time to time. Failure is not a failure. Failing teaches you valuable lessons in life, and it also builds character and strength. It’s much better to try and fail than to not try and regret it.
Celebrate Your Wins
Celebrate yourself! When you accomplish something, celebrate YOU! When you’re feeling great about yourself, celebrate YOU! One thing that we don’t do enough is pat ourselves on the back about our accomplishments. You’ve worked hard, so reward yourself. Heck, throw yourself a party! A great way to celebrate your wins is by keeping a Gratitude Journal. When you start focusing on the good, your mind begins to shift into a positive thinking pattern.
Just think.... The places you will go once you start trusting and believing in yourself and your journey. Get out there and find what makes you feel alive and brings a spark back into your life.
You only get one life... live it the way you were meant to live it. Go where you feel most alive, and ask yourself: If not today, then when?
Conclusion
I hope that this article on how to shift your mindset and overcome self-doubt has provided you with some valuable tips. It's easy to feel down about yourself, especially if you've been struggling for a while. But by understanding the root of your feelings and implementing some simple changes in your life, you can start to change the way you think about yourself and start to see yourself as capable of achieving great things. If you're feeling stuck or just need a little motivation, read on for more ideas on how to take charge of your own happiness.
This article was first published in February 2021 and updated by our editors in May 2022.