Time spent worrying – about anything – provides no emotional or physical benefit to us; such things only weaken us for the fights we must endure in our lives. “It’s not about being ready or feeling prepared all the time; sometimes you just have to do what you know you have to do. And when you do – you will always see that you’re more ready and more prepared than you realize”
How can you deal with self-doubt in a constructive way?
- Stop Making Excuses
The enemy is our chattering brain, which, if we give it so much as a nanosecond, will start producing excuses, alibis, transparent self-justifications, and a million reasons why we can’t/shouldn’t/won’t do what we know we need to do
- Beware Of Your Close Circle
Our circle of people may make us feel good, but they’re not always good for us. In fact, we could be a pawn in their game; unwitting accomplices in helping them achieve an unhealthy degree of power and influence over our decisions and actions.
- Raise Your Self-Awareness
Self-awareness can be developed. Spend some time recognizing areas you need to develop and intentionally making an effort to develop or strengthen that aspect of yourself.
So, how can you become more aware of your strengths and areas for development?
You could
- Rate Yourself: What do you think your strengths are?
- Ask others for feedback: Be open to hearing what others think of you.
- Complete a formal assessment test. These could include a personality test, discovering your values, your skills, and your abilities.
- Practice Self-Compassion
Self-compassion isn’t self-pity (Poor me, I shouldn’t feel this bad!) or irresponsibility (I messed up? Who cares!) or even self-esteem (As long as I succeed, I feel good). It’s about recognizing that feeling down is part of the shared human experience and mindfully refraining from judging yourself.
It’s important to listen, because the way you talk to yourself—especially when you’ve failed in some way—has an impact on your health, mood, and even your relationships with others. Do you admonish yourself for screwing up, or do you gently remind yourself that you’re only human and you’ll try harder next time?
Making mistakes, fumbling, and losing your cool are an inevitable part of the human experience—but most of us turn these slip-ups into an opportunity to beat ourselves up for being less than perfect. But when we see ourselves as a hopeless failure, we close our heart down to ourselves and to others.
- Stop Asking For Validation
- Trust Your Values
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