4 Steps to Overcoming Self-Doubt | Self-Doubt Sabotage – Getting a Grip, Before Losing It

January 5, 2015 by Katie

Have you ever felt like doing nothing when there is so many things that actually need to get done? Have you ever froze at the thought of starting a project or just doing something totally not relevant to what you need to accomplish? I experienced this personally today. I had this anxiety set over me about all of the things on my “to do list” and as fast as that anxiety was there, I decided to do things that weren’t a priority. Then 20 minutes later, I was like “why are you doing this, this is silly, you need to stop right now, and start working on those things that freak you out”.

The next thing that popped in my head was a quote by Eleanor Roosevelt, “you must do what you fear you cannot do,”. Such a profound quote that really hits home toward overcoming self-doubt that can sabotage a person. To aid in overcoming self-doubt, we’re going to explore 4 instant steps that you can use today, in fact, this very moment to overcome your self-doubt.

1. 1. Remember that this day matters. Let that sink in. What you today, right now, in this very moment matters. You matter. Whatever it is that you do today impacts today. Choosing not to do something that you know needs to be done is choosing an action that impacts this day. Don’t be fooled with the internal derailing thoughts that it can be put off for another day. That thought process creates a behavior that accepts or justifies not doing something. Life can be overcoming at times, however, avoiding or putting off something simply because you feel like you can handle it today is silly. Just do it. Your actions today matter, even if those actions are small in comparison to the mountain of things that you need to do today.
   2. Ask what you can do right now.  Perhaps, self-doubt can be inspired by the emotions associated with everything that needs to get done. What if you shift those thoughts from the “OMG, how will I get this all done” to “what can I do right now, that will make a difference,”.  Rather than getting caught up or feeding the stress and anxiety associated with the situation that is triggering your self-doubt, recognize the emotions that you’re experiencing. How do they make you feel? Not good. Then stop with those emotions. Breathe. Think about what you can do right now in this moment that can aid you in what you want to achieve.
   3. Re-focus on what matters and why. We’re all different. That being said, our levels of self-doubt vary. The triggers that causes that doubt vary. The reasoning we use to avoid doing what must be done, vary. Whatever it is, you need to give yourself a reality check. This needs to include the identification, acknowledgement, and confidence that can move forward. That you have been successful at overcoming this similar situation, behavior, or whatever it is that is the instigator to your self-doubt. Re-focus your thoughts, energy, and attitude toward it. Perhaps, you may visualize a time in which you knocked the ball out of the ballpark on something you thought you couldn’t do, but did. Use that same level of excitement to ignite the focus of what you need to do and why. This level of energy can help you to see why the self-doubt, it is simply that, and that you can do it. You can do what it is that you fear, you have done it in the past, and you excelled at it, and even times when you didn’t, you learned from those lessons, and those lessons can serve you to re-focus.
   4. Create movement that matters. Just as today matters, so does movement. Use the attitude and energy that you created through refocusing. Breathe. Identify the key actions that need to happen that will create the momentum to aid you in starting, maintaining, and finishing what it is that you earlier didn’t want to do. For example, if you’ve been avoiding starting a new project because the project itself is missing pieces of key information. Movement in this situation may include reaching out to key project stakeholders that you need the information by XYZ date to move forward with the ABC direction of the project, and in the meantime, you setup the framework of things that you can do with what you have available. You identify what those actions are and you create movement that aids you in completing those actions, today. Movement can really be anything that proactively aligns you with what it is that you need to get done, and will vary person to person and situation to situation. The key is to identify, do, and continue to move toward whatever it is that you need to do, and whatever it is that you fear to do, you must.

So, in summary, we all at times experience self-doubt. Our self-doubt may vary, but the paralysis that self-doubt carries is relatively similar. The key is recognizing that today does matter and you matter. The actions and inactions that you choose to do matter. That whatever trigger caused you to lose sight in you, a situation, or whatever it was that manifested self-doubt, was simply a trigger. It is not you. It is not who you are or what you will become. It is an emotional indicator that is designed to direct or indirect pain toward something. You are in the driver’s seat of that emotion. By recognizing what you can do, refocusing your thoughts to affirm that action, and then moving toward that action helps you to not only get a grip on self-doubt, but to overcome it whenever it show it’s narly face.

Cheers to YOU and all of the amazing things that you fear to do, that you MUST do.

Copyright Viral Solutions llc © 2015. All Rights Reserved

by Katie Doseck, Ph.D.

Chief Visionary and Strategic Ace Up Your Sleeve | Viral Solutions LLC

Katie Doseck, PhD MBA | Chief Visionary & Strategic Ace Up Your Sleeve. I catapulted my experience with extensive education, trainings, and personal coaching; earning a PhD in Organizational Management with a specialization in Human Resource Management, MBA in Organizational Leadership, and BA in Law & Liberal Arts. Subject Matter Expert (SME) areas: Human Resource Management, Employment Law, Organizational Change, Change Management, Resource Planning, Strategic Planning, Talent Management, Selling & Sales Management, Training & Development, Decision Making Models, Project Management, Customer Relationship Management, and Motivation. Dr. Doseck is based out of Logan, Utah.

Filed Under: Analytics Tagged With: katie doseck, viral solutions