Avoiding Self-Doubt:

Achieving your goals, no matter how challenging they may appear at the moment, is something I stressed in an earlier essay (How to Get Exactly What You Want). People often use the term “confidence” when they truly mean “expectation.” I’ll elaborate in a second.

To increase the likelihood of consistently taking action, it is essential to maintain a positive outlook and anticipates achievement. That inertia prevents you from reaching your goals, not specific obstacles.

Life is too short to let that happen, so in the following ten minutes, let’s look at the cause of people’s struggles with self-doubt and some simple steps you can take to avoid getting sidetracked.

Why do we sometimes mistrust ourselves?

Well, it stems from two layers of pessimism: first, the belief that the goal itself is impossible, and second, the idea that even if the objective is achievable, it is unlikely that you will be able to achieve it.

These are ideas that, to varying degrees, everyone has every day. Let’s look at a simple, two-step strategy for neutralizing their influence and preventing future bouts of self-doubt.

First, keep in mind that it’s not impossible to achieve the goal.

Every day, you engage in a great deal of “self-talk” that remains entirely internal. Part of you sees the boundless opportunities ahead, while another part says you should be “reasonable,” that the bar is set too high, and that the goal isn’t attainable.

The issue is that most individuals aren’t even conscious that this dialogue is taking place. They will merely go through the motions, perplexed as to what causes them to behave in some situations yet not in others. Perhaps you are like that (I know I have been at various points in my life, so I am speaking from experience here).

However, the secret to stopping self-doubt is to take instant and complete control of that internal dialogue. The ability to tune in to the caliber of your inner dialogue and take charge when things aren’t going as planned.

The first step in this direction is to practice objectivity and step back from the issue. Look at the objective, and remind yourself that it is not beyond the capabilities of a human being to achieve. Someone, somewhere on Earth, must be capable of (or already have achieved) this.

You can make this work by practicing a statement that you can use to break the line of thought preventing you from having complete faith in your ability to reach your objective. Let’s imagine you want to be self-sufficient monetarily in a year.

That may seem impossible, but don’t let that discourage you. It’s a common practice among humans. You may say, “Achieving financial independence in a year or less is conceivable. It’s been tried and tested numerous times.

You might wonder why I didn’t use the more upbeat “It’s possible…” instead of “It’s not impossible…” The reason is that I don’t want to give you any room to insert the word “but” into our conversation. We often think, “Sure, it’s possible, but…” quite frequently.

Saying to yourself, “It’s not impossible…” prevents you from giving yourself a rational reason to doubt your capacity to carry out the task at hand. You have to face the fact that no insuperable obstacle is standing between you and your objective. Rather than focusing on how you “feel” about the possibility at any particular time, you shift your attention to the fact that it actually exists.

Don’t underestimate the significance of this action; it will determine your success or failure. Your broad, underlying assumptions about the world and your capabilities define every decision you make. They restrict your movement like a puppeteer would pull on a string. So, be careful, get it right, and never forget that you can achieve nearly everything you set your mind to.

Aside: Before anyone gets the wrong idea, I’m not talking about practicing optimism. I’m not claiming you’ll be successful just because you keep saying, “I think I can.” I mean being rational or giving more weight to evidence than feelings. Thinking about things without bias. Putting your worries aside and seeing yourself as a whole person rather than just the sum of your experiences and knowledge is the first step toward realizing your full potential.

To keep your mind firmly rooted in reality — the reality that your objective is not unachievable — the first step is to have a strong statement (or collection of them) to focus on. It’s feasible, even though it’s challenging and may require more from you than you’ve ever given before. It’s practically unavoidable, given enough time and the appropriate approach.

You can move on to the following phase once you have formulated the goal in your mind and are sure it is not difficult to achieve.

The second step is to remind oneself that the objective is not inherently unachievable.

In this area, many people run across difficulties. Our typical response is something along the lines of, “Sure, it’s possible, but not for me.” Here we enter the enchanted realm of justifications, where every difficulty seems insurmountable. We don’t think we can do much to alter current affairs.

But in truth, we hold a great deal of sway. When we dwell on the things we lack — be they time, money, talent, or anything else — we give in to the part of ourselves that screams, “You just can’t do it.” The amount of us that dwells on our limitations is armed with a laundry list of excuses for why we aren’t qualified to accomplish the job, and it’s not easy to disprove their validity. You understand what I’m trying to convey.

So the idea is to flip things around and make a comprehensive list of all the reasons you can accomplish it and why you are the perfect person to get the job done. Writing a resume is a good analogy here. It takes a lot of preparation to craft the perfect cover letter or interview response when looking for a new job. You detail your qualifications, including your training, access to tools, and, most crucially, your achievements.

The goal in handing over your resume is to have the hiring manager exclaim, “Wow, this person is just the one to get the job done.” Writing a CV for yourself might give you the same boost in self-assurance.

Time and careful consideration are required if you want to do a good job. You should extol your virtues and remind yourself of the many talents you have neglected. Your entire arsenal of valuable tools. Everything you’ve learned so far could be helpful.

Because you’ve allowed the difficulties of your ambitions to make you focus on your faults and limits, there is so much more than you currently perceive. But now is the time for retaliation.

You must now take action on this.

This is crucial if you want to banish your fears of failure permanently. It would be best if you listened to this advice and put it into practice. If you take the time to read this post and put in the effort, you will immediately notice the benefits. If you’re not in the mood to start right this second or tell yourself, “That may be possible for you, but it’s not for me,” save this post to read again tomorrow. You’ll become sick of making excuses and start doing something about it.

Please let me know how things are going by writing to me at dave@davenavarro.com once you’ve put my advice into practice. Keep up the excellent job, and don’t let this opportunity disappear. You’ll be glad you did it later.

Quick Outcomes Coach Dave Navarro shows you how to quickly and easily achieve your goals. Visit http://www.davenavarro.com/wealthblog to pick up failsafe strategies for drive, persistence, and enterprise.

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