8 WAYS TO OVERCOME SELF-DOUBT LIKE A BOSS  

Anyone who steps out of their comfort zone will ultimately doubt themselves. That is the truth about life, but it doesn’t have to remain like that. The unfortunate thing is most people allow their doubt to cloud their vision of their life. Doubt itself is harmless because we all do it, but once it turns to self-doubt, that is where the problem arises. 

Self-doubt can it make harder for you to chase after your dreams. It can make the journey a lot harder and fuel your anxiety to the point where you stop believing in your dreams and vision. Once that happens you will give up because self-doubt has festered in your mind. Most people have no idea how to overcome self-doubt seeing it as something that doesn’t need to be overcome, but that is so untrue.

Think of any of the great artists, musicians, and painters of our time and throughout history. All of them have doubted at one point in time. When Giovanni dei Dolci was building the Sistine Chapel, he doubted himself. Even Michelangelo who painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel doubted himself. Even people with the biggest egos doubt themselves sometimes. It is human nature.

J.K Rowling for years doubted the success of Harry Potter. When you look through history, all these famous poets, writers, artists and entrepreneurs doubted themselves. Self-doubt is the mind’s way of protecting ourselves from the unpredictable. There’s no probability equation for success, if that was the case then I am sure many people would have cracked success.

Unfortunately, many of us have to venture into the unknown to figure life itself. To understand what makes us tick and to understand how to be successful. On the journey, self-doubt will come into play. The reason why many people fail is that they allow their self-doubt to stop them from going after their dreams.

And if you don’t learn how to overcome self-doubt it will always push you back. When you want to do a new project, self-doubt will come into effect. It will tell you that you aren’t good enough and stop you from creating an impact. Leaving a legacy or even going after your dreams. It is your choice what you do in  the end with what you want in life. It is your decision to choose what you should focus on. But when the cards are laid on the table, isn’t it bed to jump with both feet than to be cautious. Isn’t it better to go all-in and the only way you can do that is to learn how to overcome self-doubt?

Allow yourself to feel

We are told emotions make us weak and we shouldn’t doubt ourselves or our abilities. We have been told since we are kids that we should pretend to not 

doubt or be emotional because this reveals our insecurities. Human beings all have insecurities and many of us try to hide them as if that will protect us

from the harsh cruelty of the world.

If only that was the case. For the longest time, I thought I was a terrible writer and then when I was older I tried my best not to think about it. I thought, I 

was helping myself, but I was doing more damage than I like to admit. I didn’t learn what I needed. No one is born being great at something and unless you

learn how to be great at it you never will. A golfer who never practices never wins the tournament. A painter who never learns from the greats never achieves

greatness.

A singer who doesn’t learn the techniques of singing will never be anything more than a one-hit-wonder or mediocre. If you don’t allow yourself to feel doubt,

you will never learn what you need to improve and because of that, you will never progress in life. This is by one of the best and simplest ways to overcome 

self-doubt, you need to be open to learning the tricks of the trade.

The comparison trap won’t help you

Comparing ourselves is something we are taught unfortunately by society and our family. As a child, I was always being compared to my siblings and my 

parents’ friends’ kids. Yeah, it was endless, but many of us understand this because we have gone through it so many times. Our parents do it to inspire us

but it has the opposite effect.

It makes us doubt our worth or value. When we are older we do the same, compare ourselves to the person next to us. The person who got the promotion

or the person who is more confident. It is like pouring gasoline on an open wound. The scar never heals because we refuse to allow us to. I call comparison,

the comparison trap because once you are used to it that’s all you know to do.

If you want to overcome self-doubt then you have to stop comparing ourselves because that is the only way to stop eating at your confidence. When I was

younger, I believed that if I was like everyone else then I wouldn’t feel like I was a weirdo or so different.

Even as a kid, I felt odd because I didn’t act like other kids. Everyone is different, we all have unique perspectives and want different things. We all have 

different backgrounds because if we had the same the world as we know it would be boring.

Comparing yourself won’t make you more like someone, it will stab your insecurities until all that is left are your harsh thoughts. I know, it is easier said than 

done. But you have to start somewhere. Appreciate that we all have different abilities and because of that we won’t all be a like. 

Also Read: Why You Compare Yourself to Other People and How to Stop?

Work through it

Nothing good ever came from ignoring pain. That is while you need to work through your self-doubt. Try to figure out why you feel this way, what happened

in your past to make you look at the world like that. Once you figure out the source, you can understand how to overcome self-doubt. For everyone it is 

different and you just need to understand what it is for you.

Yeah, I know this can be painful or even will make you remember things you rather wish you would forget. One thing I have come to understand is that the 

successful work through their emotions and that is why they have accomplished a lot. You have to sacrifice discomfort now so that you can be free from self-

doubt. I am not saying you will curb doubt because that is what being human is all about. Doubting ourselves, but self-doubt won’t have a hold on you as it

did before. 

You won’t feel as though you are beating your head in and this is one of the ways you can overcome self-doubt without feeling as if you are hitting your head 

against the wall. 

Your Why will push you

When you have a reason for why you are doing something then no matter what comes in your way you will pull through it. No this is no one slogan fits

all kind of thing or a magical button that will make your wishes comes true. However, your why does help to motivate you. When I heard about this I

thought that it was ridiculous. I was one of those people who believed self-help books were weird and I rolled my eyes at people reading them.

In time, I learned that you can only move forward if you understand that growth will get you to your destination faster. This is one of the ways to overcome

self-doubt and it will help push you past your obstacles. You need to know what your why is. So, if you want that promotion then why do you want it? If you

want to start a Youtube channel or business then why do you want to do it?

This is where most people get lost attaching a monetary value to their why. Money isn’t a big enough reason to go after something. It won’t push you to

where you want to go. Yes, there are people who use money as a motivator, but the vast majority have other reasons why they are doing something.

Also Read: Why Following Your Passions is The Secret Ingredient

Be compassionate

Usually, when we talk about compassion, it is referring to other people, but what about you. The reason why it is hard to overcome self-doubt is because of

how hard we are on ourselves. It is almost as we think that if we are harder on ourselves then we will get more done. But it actually does more harm than 

good in the end.

It makes life far harder. You need to be compassionate to yourself because only then can take time to figure out what matters. You need a self-care 

package that you can use as a way to lift yourself up whenever you are feeling low. You can even use it when self-doubt is playing tricks on your mind. When

you do something for the first time it is never easy.

Stepping out of your comfort zone is never easy. In fact, it is one of the hardest things to do because there’s so much doubt that comes in your way. Often, 

you will wonder if you are making a fool of yourself or if anyone will understand where you are coming from. This is why you need to be compassionate to

yourself. Before you can do anything great, one of the most important lessons you will ever learn is that you matter and what you are doing matters.

Stick with your decision and move forward

Do you remember how it felt to drive for the very first time? To sit behind the wheel and hold the steering wheel, while your instructor stared at you. The fear inside you was building up to the point where your face was hot. Your eyes are moist, your throat tight and your stomach flip-flopping. One wrong move then you have failed.

But even when you passed and got your license, the fear didn’t go away. For months or even years you had to battle with the trepidation and the hesitance. On the road, that hesitance can be life-threatening. Even if it isn’t on the road it can affect you from the time you make the decision and after. Because whatever decision you make, you will still be reeling from it. You will still have to ask yourself if what you did was the right thing.

It will still affect you because you can’t run away from the after-effects of a decision. You need to stick with your decision Whatever you choose to do. If you decide to step out of your comfort zone then move forward. Don’t look back. If you decide not to then stick with it. Whatever you decide you need to be comfortable about it.

The reason why self-doubt often messes up with people’s lives is the hesitancy and regret. To overcome self-doubt you need to be comfortable with your reasoning and decision making skills as hard as that is. And if you made a mistake. Okay. Move forward. This is all about moving forward and not looking back at all the mistakes you made. 

We all have made mistakes. It is what makes us human and I know that is corny, but it is true. Mistakes play a large role in our lives and it is supposed to teach us lessons. More importantly, we make mistakes so that we can sympathize with people. Whatever you decide move forward in your life and choose not to look back.  

Talk about it

To overcome self-doubt you need to talk about what you are going through. You need to talk to someone about it. Even if it is something as simple as telling 

someone that you doubt yourself. As I said before, doubt is a normal reaction to stepping out of your comfort zone. Often, we think that we are alone and

there’s no one out there who can understand what we are going through.

That is a normal reaction, but it is further from the truth. Everyone has doubts, that is why sometimes people get cold feet on their wedding day or why new

graduates wonder if they will make it in life whether at university or in the workforce. It is why parents want to hold their kids’ hands harder because of that

fear of the unknown and the doubt that filters in their minds. They have questions that won’t get answered until their children are older and have their own 

families.

Doubt is a part of us and the best way to deal with self-doubt is to talk to someone about it. When you realize that everyone feels the same way at a certain

point in their lives, it will open your eyes. You will realize that doubt can only harm you if truly believe in what it says about you.  

Find a source of inspiration

 Have you ever watched the movie Rudy, it is an old sports movie. Even though I have never been an athlete, I always enjoyed watching a sports movie. Most

of them are incredibly inspiring and I used to watch them get my dose of inspiration. Rudy tells the story of a young man with Dyslexia who wants to play

football at the University of Notre Dame and decides to go for it despite not having the money to do so. He also doesn’t have a scholarship and he’s tinier

than what a football player should be.

What I love about Rudy is it tells the story of the underdog and I have always felt like an underdog. We all relate to things differently and find different 

avenues for inspiration. Whatever it is you use that to get going because when you find your source of inspiration you will keep pushing yourself. You can 

have more than one source of inspiration, the point here is that it belongs to you and no one else. 

For some people, it is a great song, one that makes you feel as if nothing is impossible. Maybe it is a really good book or a motivational podcast. Whatever it

is you can use that to push yourself out of the bed. There have been people who were in the same footsteps that you were. People who climbed mountains, 

who ran impossible miles, beat the odds and I know it sounds like a montage of motivational movies.

I want you to realize nothing is impossible and when you watch something that inspires you, it will make you believe that. Whatever feeds your mind can

either build yourself up or tear you down. 

Find out what works best for you and use that to push yourself out of your comfort zone. 

What is your main takeaway from this blog post? Have you struggled with self-doubt in the past? If so, why and how did you deal with it?

                                                                                     Keep Pushing

                                                          Vanessa