Setting goals can be exciting. You imagine all of the possibilities—being sexier healthier, killing it at a job you love, and making enough money to fund a life that makes you jump out of bed each morning.
And life is full of cycles that give us fresh starts like clockwork. Monday mornings. Birthdays. The start of a new month or year. The end of Mercury retrograde. Any of these moments can make you feel like anything is possible. So you set a goal, put it on your vision board and get to work.
But after the excitement of a new goal wears off, you begin to question whether you have what it takes to achieve it. Questions turn into doubt, doubt turns into fear, and soon you’ve lost your motivation and can’t remember why you were excited to begin with.
If you’re not careful, self doubt will sabotage your quest for success. Here are seven things you can do to smash it before it smashes your dreams.
- Celebrate your daily wins.
It might not feel like it, but you win all the time. Nothing in life is guaranteed—not your health, safety, gainful employment, or lasting marriage. If you’re breathing and conscious, you’re winning at life. Full stop. But there is always more to celebrate. Remind yourself daily of what you’ve overcome just to be where you’re at,evenespecially if you’re not yet where you want to be.Remind yourself daily of what you've overcome just to get to where you are... especially if you're not yet where you want to be. Click To Tweet - Use affirmations of confidence.
They say the best defense is a good offense. Likewise, when self doubt is the track playing on repeat in your head, drowning it out with encouraging thoughts is a tried and true tactic to fight back. Intentionally affirming your strengths and abilities on a regular basis will make the self doubt soundtrack harder to hear, and harder to believe when you do hear it. Smash self doubt by intentionally affirming your strengths & abilities on a regular basis. Click To Tweet - Find the lesson in loss.
It’s easy to interpret failure and disappointment as evidence of your inability to succeed. But disappointment is a feeling, not a permanent state of existence, and you can choose to learn from each failure. Even finding out what doesn’t work can be a worthwhile lesson if you apply what you learn to your next move. Finding out what doesn't work can be a worthwhile lesson if you apply the knowledge to your next move. Click To Tweet - Express sincere gratitude.
Gratitude changes everything. It turns obstacles into opportunities, and the roots of resistance into seeds of change. But it’s not enough to feel grateful…you must express it. Say it aloud. Journal it. Offer it to others freely and sincerely. Be specific with your thanks. When you operate with the expectation of being grateful for every experience, it is much harder to doubt that even your disappointments are pushing your closer to your destiny. Operating in the expectation of #gratitude makes it easy to believe that even your disappointments are pushing you closer to your destiny. Click To Tweet - Take action.
There’s nothing so effective as taking action to silence the relentless voice in your head that says you can’t. No matter how scared or unsure you may be, there is some definitive task you can complete that moves you measurably closer to your goal. Do it. Completing even a small task will help you build up your confidence and forward momentum, smashing self doubt in the process. There's nothing so effective as taking action to silence the relentless voice in your head that says you can't. Click To Tweet - Surround yourself with love.
If your tank is empty, go fill it up. If you can’t find it within to extend grace to yourself, then immerse yourself in the presence of those who can. When action and affirmations aren’t enough to drown out the self doubt, let the people who clearly see how amazing you are pour into you with love and acceptance. If you can't extend grace to yourself, then immerse yourself in the presence of those who can. #lifeeditproject Click To Tweet - Start over.
Sometimes, you won’t be able to pick up where you left off. There will be times when carrying on at all means going back to the starting line and there will be no shortcut. It is in these moments when self doubt is most convincing. It will tell you that it’s too hard, not worth the effort, or that you’ve wasted too much time already. Lies. Sometimes, starting over is the only way to unload your unnecessary baggage so that you can travel your path unencumbered. Revel in the start. It’s another chance to get it right. Starting over is sometimes the only way to unload your unnecessary baggage so that you can travel your path unencumbered. Revel in the start. Click To Tweet
Have you struggled with self doubt? Drop a line in the comments and tell us how you fight back.