{"id":7188,"date":"2011-08-17T06:28:02","date_gmt":"2011-08-17T14:28:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=7188"},"modified":"2013-09-12T12:32:49","modified_gmt":"2013-09-12T20:32:49","slug":"6-ways-to-conquer-the-demons-of-self-doubt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/6-ways-to-conquer-the-demons-of-self-doubt\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Ways to Conquer the Demons of Self-Doubt"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll never succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not good enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou might as well give up now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chances are, you\u2019re hearing things like that every single day<\/em>.<\/p>\n

They don\u2019t come from your friend, or even your enemies.<\/p>\n

They come from inside your own head.<\/p>\n

Perhaps you\u2019re working towards a big goal: like losing weight and getting fit, or starting up your own business. You might have big ambitions … but you\u2019ve also got to fight a battle against those internal voices.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re not the only person who feels that way. We all<\/em> have to struggle against self-doubt.<\/strong> And we can all overcome those negative, destructive thoughts that hold us back from reaching our goals.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how.<\/p>\n

#1: Remember What You\u2019ve Already Accomplished<\/h2>\n

You\u2019ve managed to achieve lots of amazing things already. Perhaps you\u2019ve made direct progress towards your goal: you\u2019ve lost 10lbs, so you know you can go on and lose another 10.<\/p>\n

Even if your goal is brand-new, you can draw on past accomplishments<\/strong>. Maybe you\u2019re overwhelmed by everything you need to learn in order to get your graduate degree … but you can remember how your hard work paid off when you were an undergraduate, or a high school student.<\/p>\n

Do it:<\/strong> Write down three things that you\u2019ve accomplished. It doesn\u2019t matter how big or small they are.<\/p>\n

#2: Act Confident<\/h2>\n

Even if you don\u2019t feel at all confident, you can behave as if you are. Once you start acting confident, you\u2019ll begin to believe in yourself.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s say you\u2019ve started doing freelance photography on the weekends, and you\u2019ve got your first few paying gigs. Your clients don\u2019t need to know that you\u2019re new to this. They don\u2019t need to hear about how nervous you are. If you behave like a professional, they\u2019ll see you as one \u2013 and you\u2019ll start to see yourself through their eyes.<\/p>\n

Do it:<\/strong> Figure out one<\/em> way in which you could act confident, starting right now.<\/p>\n

#3: Read Success Stories From Other People<\/h2>\n

Whenever I\u2019ve tackled a big goal in my own life \u2013 like losing weight or starting my own business \u2013 I\u2019ve been inspired by stories from others.<\/p>\n

Lots of people have achieved the goals that you\u2019re working towards. Many of those people will have started off in a worse position than you<\/strong>: they were more overweight, or more deeply in debt, or struggling in all sorts of ways. But they still succeeded … and so can you.<\/p>\n

Do it:<\/strong> Look for a book or blog written by someone tackling a similar goal to yours, and read a little bit every day.<\/p>\n

#4: Ask For Feedback from a Professional<\/h2>\n

You might have spent months or years honing your skills in a particular area, but you\u2019re still worried that you\u2019re not good enough.<\/p>\n

Find someone professional, and ask them for their opinion. If you\u2019re hoping to write a best-selling novel, hire a writing coach or editor. If you\u2019re planning to start up a restaurant, ask for advice from someone who\u2019s done the same thing. You\u2019ll find out that you\u2019re doing a lot of things right (and you\u2019ll also get a few tips on how to make improvements).<\/strong><\/p>\n

Do it:<\/strong> Consider hiring a coach, or joining a small group or class. You could look locally or online.<\/p>\n

#5: Collect Compliments and Testimonials<\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re working on a long-term goal, chances are that you\u2019ve have some nice comments from other people. Perhaps your friend told you how great you look now that you\u2019ve lost a few pounds, or your first clients raved about what a great job you did for them.<\/p>\n

Make sure you keep any encouraging words that you hear.<\/strong> Write down what your friends say. Save all those \u201cthank you\u201d emails. Post your testimonials on your website for the world to read. All of these positive, encouraging voices will help to quiet the demons of self-doubt.<\/p>\n

Do it:<\/strong> Look through your emails for any positive feedback, and print it out.<\/p>\n

#6: Plan Your Next Few Steps<\/h2>\n

One of the best ways to overcome self-doubt is to have a clear plan. It\u2019s easy to start thinking \u201cI\u2019ll never do it\u201d if you don\u2019t know what your next steps are.<\/p>\n

A clear plan lets you break things down into manageable chunks. <\/strong>It highlights any areas where you\u2019ll need to do further research or get some help. It takes any vague worries and fears and forces them out into the light \u2013 where you\u2019ll be able to see plenty of ways to overcome them.<\/p>\n

Do it:<\/strong> Write down the next three steps towards your goal.<\/p>\n

Are you struggling with self-doubt in any areas of your life? Or have you successfully overcome those self-doubt demons? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.<\/em><\/p>\n

Don’t Forget to Follow PickTheBrain on Twitter!<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n


\nRelated Articles:<\/strong><\/p>\n

How To Be Happy At Work:Employee Motivation
\n<\/a>How To Increase Your Will Power<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Perhaps you\u2019re working towards a big goal: like losing weight and getting fit, or starting up your own business. You might have big ambitions … but you\u2019ve also got to fight a battle against those internal voices. Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12163,"featured_media":7221,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[205,6],"tags":[1578,66,4652,1577,4629],"yoast_head":"\n6 Ways to Conquer the Demons of Self-Doubt - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"You\u2019re not the only person who feels that way. We all have to struggle against self-doubt. 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