Tackling Self-Doubt 101

What one thing most holds you back from rising to your full potential?

The one thing that stops you from asking for what you want, trying something new, going for the bigger promotion or simply speaking up and sharing your ideas in that important meeting?

I reckon your inner voice of self-doubt, sometimes called “the inner critic” is a pretty big contender. That voice inside that is sure that you just aren’t enough….. smart enough, experienced enough, qualified enough, good at x enough.

Being able to tell the difference between the voice of self-doubt as opposed to your rational thinking can work wonders when overcoming your fears and achieving your goals.

To help you tell the difference, here are a few examples of how your inner critic commonly shows up:

• It’s often the super harsh and mean voice that you speak to yourself in, you know the one that is just for you, as you would never dream of speaking to anyone else like that!

• Sometimes it takes inspiration from your critical family members or managers or even cultural or religious ethos like the patriarchy.

• It will often tell you that you just aren’t ready yet, that you need to get another degree, you need more time to prepare, you need more experience.

• Or the sneaky one is the voice that likes to kick you when you’re already down and goes something like this: “everyone else in this room definitely has it more together than you”. Then it will say, “what is wrong with you, other people are so confident and relaxed and look at you…”

Resonating at all?

Want to take your inner critic identification a step further?

Id totally recommend some journaling.

The next time you notice you are kicking yourself for not seizing the moment or you feel you sold yourself short, take a few minutes to scribble some notes on the following questions:

What held me back there?

What thoughts did I have about myself in that moment?

What was I feeling in my body in that moment?

What would I have preferred my reaction or behaviour to have been?

Seeing your own thoughts on paper is more powerful than it often seems!

Good Luck