Whenever you are trying to accomplish something really big, it will seem like the whole world doubts you. You’ll think that your colleagues don’t get it. You’ll think your friends don’t believe in you and that your family is afraid for you.
But are these doubts really coming from the outside world or are they coming from within? Are your friends actually saying they don’t believe in you or are you interpreting it that way because you want to? Are your parents really afraid or is it your own fear reflected on them?
You need to examine your thoughts closely to find out.
For me, the majority of my doubt comes from a little voice in my head that says I’m not good enough.
It tells me I won’t make it. It tells me I’ll go broke or that I’m not smart enough.
In fact, it’s this little voice that tells me that everyone else doubts me. But in reality, who has actually said they doubt me? No one. It was coming from within all along.
As you look to achieve great things in your life you’ll notice that doubt will follow you no matter what. But you’ll also learn that you are in control. You can learn to overcome the doubt by doing a few simple things each time the doubt surfaces.
Three Steps to Overcoming Internal Doubt
1. Be the Watcher
First, you’ll want to carefully watch your negative thoughts. As you hear the little voice say “you aren’t good enough” simply acknowledge it’s presence. Your awareness of the negative thought is the first step to overcoming it. Become a detective that investigates every doubt that enters your mind. Overtime you’ll start to do this automatically.
2. Realize You Are Not Your Thoughts
The second step, after you gain awareness of the doubtful thought, is recognizing that it isn’t really you at all. That little voice in your head is actually a construct of your ego — an image you have of yourself that gives you a sense of identity. We usually think of the ego as something related to pride or vanity, but it can also turn up in feelings of inferiority or self-doubt. When you hear the voice saying “you aren’t good enough” you need to distance yourself from the voice. It’s an intruder. It isn’t you.
3. Develop Your Mantra
Once you’ve begun to cultivate an awareness of your negative thoughts and see that they are not really you, you’ll want to develop a positive mantra to use as a shield every time new doubts pop up. This will become your quick way to diffuse a negative thought so they don’t grow too big inside of you.
Picture your negative thoughts as weeds in your garden that will inevitably sprout up over and over. Your job is not to try to prevent the weeds from sprouting up at all, but rather to rip each one out before their roots solidify. Your positive affirmation will be your weed wacker. For example, when the doubt “you aren’t good enough” crops up in my mind I use the positive mantra “I am whole” to quiet it. This mantra reminds me that I am already complete and that I don’t have to measure up to anything or anyone. It centers me.
Doubts are inevitable. No matter how high you climb, they will still be there. But if you can understand the genesis of your doubts then you can start to overcome them. Your doubt doesn’t come from the external world. It’s not your parents or your friends.
The doubt comes from that little voice inside your head. Now you can fight it. Now you’re in control.