Overcoming Self-Doubt

As I sit here in the coffee shop pondering the topic of my next blog post, I’m listening to the beautiful song, “Have a Little Faith in Me.” I had to stop my thought process to take in the lyrics and enjoy the gentle, yet moving melody. A thought came to mind about the negative beliefs held by many, which boil down to lack of faith in themselves. Then, BINGO! The topic of my next (this) post hit me. Self-doubt: the poisonous venom that runs through the mind of so many very talented entrepreneurs. So, you see – we actually have two topics here. The problem of lack of faith in one’s self and the amazing Law of Attraction, because I closed my eyes to listen and this topic idea was born. So, since I write frequently about the Law of Attraction (LOA) let’s talk more about lack of faith and self-doubt. Not to diminish the amazing experience of manifestation – for which I am always and deeply grateful.

I think most of us do it from time-to-time; allow those debilitating thoughts of self-doubt to creep through our minds. “Who am I to take this on?” or “I’m not smart enough to do this.” Thoughts like these run through the minds of even the most brilliant individuals. Do you ever experience this? I sure do! So, here are some exercises that I’ve found helpful and I have my clients do as an antidote to this poisonous obstruction to productivity. Of course, the most powerful process is the energy psychology that I often employ in sessions. That’s EFT and you can read more about at my website. But in addition to The Emotional Freedom Technique experience, these steps prove to be quite effective.

When you encounter limiting thoughts that lead to self-doubt, take a moment to acknowledge what you are experiencing. Think about the individual phrases moving through your head and write them down. Let’s say the thought du jour is “I’m not smart enough to pull this off.” (You’d be amazed at how many brilliant and successful people have this tape running in the background.) Now, you have the header of a column called “I’m Not Smart Enough.” Under the header write down 10 things, that’s right 10 things, that you’ve achieved in the last 5 years that required a rather intelligent thought process to pull off. Don’t be shy about it. Have you scored great grades in a difficult class? Have you begun your own company and helped clients/customers solve a problem? Have you helped your child process some difficult experiences? Come on, how do you use that amazing brain in your head? Oh, you have more than 10? – great! Keep writing. Now go back up to the header name and change it to “I AM Smart!”

Now, I want you to compose an email to AT LEAST three people who know you. When I did this, I told these people I was looking at some angles for marketing my business. I asked them to list 3-5 things that they believe I do well. What do they see in me that makes me a good coach? Well, if these responses weren’t a boost then nothing is. No one stopped at 3 things and good wasn’t an adjective any of them used. I got words like, amazing, rare, astounding – well, you get the picture. Now add a second column next to “I AM Smart” and call it “How Others See Me.” Copy and paste, or write those phrases and adjectives into this column. Wow, how’s this picture shaping up?

One more exercise – and it’s not easy for some. Write down 100 of your top qualities. Be honest with yourself – in other words, don’t short change yourself! One word at a time, how would you describe yourself to the world? Good stuff only because that’s all that counts for this process. Do you make people laugh? Is integrity an important value? Are you a good friend? Are you witty or creative? Come on, you can do it – 100 things! If you have to list 10-15 a day, and it takes a while, that’s fine – take your time, the end result is the same.

Good job! Now, review the whole picture. Read your lists before you go to bed so that your conscious mind can embrace all these wonderful things about you. Refer to these lists when you’re feeling self-doubt. Keep in touch with the reality of your genius by reading and re-reading all this great stuff. Accept it – this is the real you. The other is sabotage and/or fear that is only as real as you allow it to be.

Tell us about your experience. How did this process help you shift your thoughts? Were there any stumbling blocks? Which part was the most difficult? Did any part of it come easier to you than you believed it would?