Tag Trust Yourself

Eliminating Self-Doubt

Steve Keating Leave a comment

Lots of “self-help” types would tell you that when you believe in yourself, when you trust your ability, you are halfway to success already. When I say “lots” I mean a ton of them. It’s kind of amazing that so many of them think alike but what’s even more amazing it that every single one of them is 100% correct.

Believing in yourself is a true superpower. It strengthens every strength and weakens every weakness. It is a “self motivating” mindset. It is an encouraging attitude. It is like having a coach living inside your head.

Believing in yourself changes everything!

The first step to consistently believing in yourself and trusting yourself is to cleanse your mind of self-doubt. That’s often easier said than done but most everything worth doing is easier said than done. But getting that self-doubt out of your system is soooooo worth the effort.

Eliminating self-doubt is a process that involves understanding its roots and implementing strategies to overcome it. Here’s what that process looks like.

• Identify the Source. Self-doubt often stems from past experiences, negative feedback, or comparison with others. Reflect on what triggers your self-doubt and try to pinpoint its source.

• Challenge Negative Thoughts. When self-doubt arises, challenge the negative thoughts that accompany it. Ask yourself if there’s evidence to support these thoughts or if they are merely assumptions. Replace them with more positive and realistic affirmations.

• Set Realistic Goals. Break down your goals into smaller, achievable tasks. This helps build confidence as you make progress. Celebrate each accomplishment, no matter how small.

• Focus on Strengths. Acknowledge your strengths and past successes. Remind yourself of times when you overcame challenges or achieved something significant. Keep a journal of your achievements to refer to when self-doubt creeps in.

• Practice Self-Compassion. Treat yourself with kindness and understanding, especially when facing setbacks or failures. Instead of berating yourself, practice self-compassion by offering words of encouragement and forgiveness.

• Surround Yourself with Supportive People. Spend time with people who uplift and encourage you. Seek feedback and support from friends, family, or mentors who believe in your abilities and can offer constructive criticism.

• Focus on Personal Growth. Shift your focus from comparing yourself to others to improving yourself. Concentrate on continuous learning and growth rather than seeking external validation.

• Visualize Success. Use visualization techniques to imagine yourself succeeding in your goals. Visualizing positive outcomes can help boost confidence and reduce self-doubt.

• Ask for Help if Necessary. If self-doubt significantly impacts your daily life or mental well-being, consider seeking help from a mentor, close friend or maybe even a counselor. They can provide personalized strategies and support to overcome self-doubt.

Remember that eliminating self-doubt is a gradual process. It requires patience and perseverance. Don’t be too hard on yourself when the inevitable doubt tries to creep back in. Just redouble your efforts and don’t forget to celebrate your progress along the way.

YOU GOT THIS!

Want more LeadToday? Many of you know I’m very active on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. I post a lot of free content there but I also post 6-10 minute videos two or three times a week. These videos are focused on principles of leadership and life. They are “uncommon” common sense topics designed to help people push themselves to their full potential. Every video is available to subscribers who invest $4.99 a month for their future success. If you’re willing to push yourself towards the life you want and deserve my videos may just be the extra nudge you need to get there. Find your way over to X and follow me there. Once you’ve followed me you can subscribe on a month by month basis just by clicking the subscribe button. Remember, an investment in yourself ALWAYS pays dividends! You’ll find my timeline here: twitter.com/leadtoday

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Who to Believe

Steve Keating 2 Comments

It’s hard to know what to believe these days. You can find “facts” to support pretty much anything you want to believe. It’s just as hard to know who to believe. People who seem to be thinking and talking logically one day appear to be completely off the rails the next. 

But I do have one solid recommendation on who to believe that you can take to the bank…maybe even literally. 

That recommendation is you. Yes, I wholeheartedly recommend that you believe in you. The most successful people, regardless of their walk of life, have that one thing in common. They believe in themselves. 

Believing in yourself changes everything about your life. You’ll not only see things differently but the things you see will actually be different. You’ll be less judgmental of other people because your focus will be on your life and what you want to accomplish. You’ll no longer feel the need to measure yourself against other people because you know, without a doubt, that you have what it takes to succeed.

You’ll discover that you do in fact have enough time. The old excuse about not having time falls away when your priorities are in order. You no longer waste time, you invest it. You invest it in accomplishing what’s best for you and those you care for. The activities a less confident you did with regularity to avoid taking risks will no longer be a part of your day. A self-confident you becomes a productivity monster accomplishing more in a day than most people do in a month. Yes, that is the real you when you believe in yourself!

Self-confident people attract other people and you very well may inspire other people to believe in themselves. Think about people who inspire you. You not only can be like them…you ARE like them, you only need to believe it. 

When you believe in yourself you become immune to the unjust criticism of others. You are able to accept the comments and decide for yourself if there is anything helpful to consider. Then you are free to use whatever part of the criticism you feel helps you succeed. When you believe in yourself all criticism becomes constructive, no matter how it was intended. 

Believing in yourself doesn’t eliminate life’s ups and downs. It does however make them a ton easier to deal with. You KNOW you will overcome whatever obstacles appear in your way. You are certain of it, there are no doubts, only possible solutions to consider. 

But here’s the best part…every single word I’ve written is 100% true for every single person reading this. This post isn’t about someone else, it’s about you!

I believe it, I believe it with all my heart. All you need to do is believe it too. Once you believe it, really really believe it, every obstacle becomes smaller, every possibility becomes clearer. You begin to live a life of purpose, on purpose. You begin to live the life you deserve.

Believe! 

Do Your Best

Steve Keating 4 Comments

“Do your best.” I’ve received that advice so many times and for so long that I can’t remember when I first heard it or who I heard it from.

It’s not bad advice as far as it goes, it just doesn’t go far enough. If I were to advise you to “do your best” I would also advise you to have someone in your life to tell you if you’ve really done your best.

That’s because most people, myself included, often tell themselves they have put forth their best effort when they haven’t. They make compromises, they make excuses, they even flat-out lie to themselves.

If anyone is going to consistently do their best then they need someone in their life to hold them accountable. They need someone in their life to warn them away from compromises, excuses and telling themselves they did their best when they really could have done more.

That person is most likely a mentor. It could be a close friend, a family member, a co-worker or maybe even someone you pay, like a certified coach perhaps. Whoever it is you must trust that this person has your best interests in mind. They must be confident enough to be truthful with you and you must be confident enough to listen to them.

Sometimes your best effort won’t be good enough to accomplish what you want. Do your best anyway and do it again next time and the time after that too.

You deserve your best effort and you must be honest with yourself to get it. It also helps if you have someone close by to verify your honesty. When you do your best you may not always win but you will always be a winner.

You may find this hard to believe but in my experience the ultimate outcome matters less over time. The sting of defeat lessens over time but the disappointment in yourself for giving less than your best effort can actually grow with time. Don’t do that to yourself, always do your best and if that’s not good enough for someone else then that’s their problem, not yours.