How to Overcome Self Doubt

Self doubt happens when you have little belief in yourself. There is an inner lack of faith and confidence. You are not able to claim your own accomplishments, even when due. You feel like an imposter, a fraud and a cheat. You deem yourself as unworthy of any kind of praise, accolades or validation; although you are deserving.

When you doubt your power, you give power to your doubt. Click to Tweet

It does not matter that others may think highly of you. What counts is the perception and evaluation of your own capability. You very much doubt in your own ability or power to garner required resources or support.
Self doubt can make you feel as if you are alone. You wonder why it is that success comes so easily to your neighbours and not you. Holed up in the chambers of your unconscious, you are to face the inner demons that keep putting you down…

Who am I to do this? What if I appear stupid? What if I fail? What if others see through my act? What if others find out that I am not cool to hang out with? What if others find out that I am actually just not good enough? What if I lose out to others?

Beat the Voice of Self Doubt

Well these were some of the stuff that was going on in my self-talk previously. I was overcome with self doubt when I first thought about writing a book 2-3 years ago. I fretted over whether it was a good idea. I even went to consult a medium for readings just to be sure. It sounds ridiculous when I think about it now but I had wanted a precise prediction of my future back then. Lacking sufficient inner trust, I needed the affirmation and the go-ahead from someone else.

Even after publishing my first book, my self-doubt returned. It was time to think about whether I was ready to write another book and this time on Self Love. Honestly, I did not believe I could. I did not believe that I could write any more than a few pages. I wondered if I had enough words to fill a book.

The voice of doubt grew louder. I became certain that there was no way I could write any better than some of the best-selling books around on self-love. Luckily, my heart said otherwise. Intuitively, it felt as if this was something that I was meant to do. The ensuing debate between heart and mind went on for days.

Luckily, I have gained enough awareness to know what self doubt was doing to me. I finally got a grip on myself. It was definitely insane of me to compare my work with the very best of authors. What was I thinking? I will just do the best I can. And if I am unique, I will have my own stories to tell. I will write it from my own perspective. As it turned out, what began as a few pages soon became a book.

Channel Self Doubt Positively

Doubt arises in the mind. It starts with a niggling seed of suspicion and as you place more attention on your thought, you start to feel insecure. Insecurity shifts you off-center. You are unable to feel settled.

Self doubt is not necessarily a bad thing. An internal conflict can cause you to go on a quest to uncover the truth. You are led on a voyage of discovery, to establish new grounds for understanding and thought. Doubt is being channeled positively in this case.

Doubt can also let you know if you need to go over your project again before handing it up. You give yourself the opportunity to relook, reevaluate and rework. Thus, instead of hurrying through, you are led to producing a more excellent piece of work.

Be Aware Of What Excessive Self Doubt Can Do

Nonetheless, it is important to recognize that doubt can also be paralyzing. Doubt can howl so much that it stops you in your tracks to ever completing or doing anything successfully. Much like playing Angry Birds in the popular app game, a constant hurling of doubt renders a foundation weak. The structural foundation becomes shaky and finally, collapses.

Excessive self doubt holds you back from your dream. From doubt, you are kept worrying that you will not be able to achieve a satisfactory outcome. You fear looking foolish. Unfortunately, worry is an energy-leaking state. You may just choose to abandon your dream, if you are unable to beat the berating voice inside your head. You prevent yourself from manifesting abundance altogether.

Be Willing to Acknowledge Your Own Accomplishments

Self doubt probably arises from childhood messages. If you have been conditioned with negative messages that created unnecessary psychological fear, you are more likely to be plagued with self-doubt as an adult. And so you doubt your capabilities, your gifts and how powerful you can be in manifesting your dreams.

Well, you will need to learn about doing things differently in order to transform the energy of worry and doubt. Give yourself credit when due. Pat yourself on the back for each positive step that you have taken.

Understand that you are no different from anyone else. Everyone experiences self doubt every now and then. I dare say that all creative people do too. Those who achieve success are ones who are better able to focus on their dreams instead of doubt.

Remind Yourself With a Positive Affirmation

If you have a problem with self doubt, you may wish to print out the following well-loved saying by Marianne Williamson in a card and keep it in your wallet or place it on your desk…

marianne williamson quote

Cultivate Self Trust

Doubt, when limiting, is fear consciousness. It blocks the connection to your heart. The opposite of doubt is trust. Hence, turn self doubt into loving trust. In my book, Self-Love Secrets, I wrote…

“It may not be anything big that you are attempting to do. What is more important is that you are letting go of the known to venture anew. In fact, the more times you break down doubt, the greater your ability to cultivate self-trust.”

Defeating self doubt is an inside job because doubt originates in the mind. Learn to trust with the love in your heart. As what Marianne Williamson has also shared, it is only when we release our fears that we can truly serve the world.

Shine from the Soul always,

evelyn lim signature
Author. Adventurer. Life Coach.

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Do you find yourself battling with self doubt? What tips or insights have worked for you? Please share in the comment box below.

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The Vizier - November 8, 2011 Reply

Hi Evelyn,

I think many of us have struggled with self-doubts at one point or other in our lives. I certainly have. As you rightly point out, it does not matter that others may think highly of you. What really counts is how we view ourselves. Yet self-doubt is so powerful that unless we have a certain level of self-awareness, it is very hard to manage it.

As you have showed us with your example, it is pointless to compare. Each of us have our role to play here on this Earth. This means that what we do may target different people and segments of society. No one person can influence everyone since we are all at different stages in our lives and need different kinds of guidance. So every contribution that each of us makes is vital and important to the development of global consciousness.

I agree with you that the best way to manage self-doubt is to be aware of it and to channel it positively. It is indeed not a bad thing as it makes you more cautious and thorough in what you are trying to do. The key here is balance and not to allow self-doubt to cripple and paralyze us from acting.

I feel that by focusing on the solution and ways to deal with self-doubt is the best way to go. When we do something to tackle the source of our self-doubts, we use our energy wisely and remove the problem. As such, self-doubt naturally disappears and we grow in confidence in being able to manage better. It is important here to learn from our mistakes and failures and to keep adapting and adjusting until we succeed.

Thank you for sharing this lovely article with us! 🙂

Irving the Vizier