Ditch Self-Doubt - Become Confident

“The moment you doubt whether you can fly you cease forever to be able to do it.”

J.M. Barrie said that and he was right. Self-doubt will clip your wings for sure.  Although self-doubt is a natural human emotion, which we all feel from time to time, it can become a saboteur of your dreams.  If you find yourself constantly questioning and criticising yourself as well as feeling the desperate need to seek approval from others then self-doubt that is your close ally who is hugging you tight to its chest, sabotaging every attempt you make to change your life for the better.  

Releasing this unwanted friendship in other words overcoming self-doubt could be your first step to get your dream job, dream relationship or to improve your finances. Letting go of self-doubt frees you from self-sabotage and allows you to re-grow your wings and fly again.  Someone once said that self-doubt is a killer of any potential success and I strongly believe this to be true.  Self-doubt stops you from seeing your strength and chains you to an unsatisfying reality. 

When you listen to the voice of self-doubt, you become convinced that you are in some ways  inadequate.  You become paralysed with fear of failure and judgement and decide it is best to stick with what you know, where you are at, and who you  are with.  You can however free yourself  and push self-doubt away from you by building your inner strength gradually.  Here are a few tips how you can do it:

• Find a time when you can be on your own for a while and contemplate the reasons for which you want to be more confident and want to shake off self-doubt.  Ask yourself the following questions: What would be different in my life if I started to believe in myself just a little bit more? Why is it important to me to become more confident? What will change if I quieten my self-doubt and become more confident?
• List times when you demonstrated your inner strength and courage.
• List all your qualities and traits that you are proud of and could come useful in overcoming self-doubt.
• Become a friend to you. Use positive, kind, compassionate and encouraging language in your self-dialogue. Talk to yourself as you would to a good friend.
• Move into your confidence gradually by setting weekly challenges for yourself that takes you out of your comfort zone just a little. Each week you are going to stretch that comfort zone further and further and you will become more and more confident.
• Do not be afraid of failure. Failure is something that we all have to overcome on our way to success, therefore see failure as a step toward success.
• Surround yourself with supportive people and avoid naysayers. Focus on all the encouragement and learn to shut out the doubters.
• Don’t be afraid to seek help from others, a friend, a family member or a Life Coach.

Once you start to believe in you, the world will start to believe in you too and your life will gradually start to change for the better.