Have you ever had an idea, a dream, or a sudden burst of confidence to do something new, only to be reeled in by your internal voice that says, “You can’t do that”.
All of a sudden you find yourself in a tug-of-war between your confident, forward moving self and the other doubtful limiting self – the one who holds you back by causing you to question your ability.
These three strategies will help you tame your doubtful inner critic and build your confidence.
1) Replace that negative voice with a supportive, positive one
- Shift your inner critic messages to messages of accomplishment – whenever your negative voices show up, remind yourself of the positive qualities you possess.
- Evaluate the critical message. Is it true? Is there a bit of truth? Or is it a lie?
- Look yourself in a mirror and say, “Yes, this may be true about me, AND this is also true.” For example: “Yes, sometimes I do procrastinate and I am really productive when I put my mind to it.”
Just remember, when you hear the doubtful voice saying “You can’t do that.”, that you have the power to turn the volume up, down, or better yet, turn it off.
2. Move from Doubt to Get It Done
Doubt comes from a place of worry and a perspective of limitations. When you’re doubtful about being able to achieve what you want, you open your mind to negative thoughts. And, as you can imagine, the more negative thoughts you have, the less likely you are to get started.
Doubt can be paralyzing. Even skilled snow skiers sometimes stand too long on the edge of a ski slope, looking down. The longer they look over the tips of their skis, the steeper the mountain appears, the higher the moguls, the further the fall.
Doubt creeps in and sometimes the thrill of a lifetime is abandoned for something safer.
What about you? Are you standing on the edge doubting to take the next step?
Next time you find that your doubts are holding you back from your goals, take these 4 simple, yet powerful, steps:
- Take a deep breath.
- Remember the skills you have that support you to move forward.
- Determine your first step.
- And just do it!
Keep busy moving forward so you don’t get side-tracked by doubt. You’ll get things done when you don’t let doubt and worry hold you back.
Approach new opportunities with a perspective of possibility which inspires you to focus on what your desires and take action.
3. Practice the Power of Optimism
Being optimistic is more than seeing the world through rose colored glasses. Optimism shows itself through your attitude, belief and actions. When you’re optimistic everything in life is different.
Did you know that optimistic people:
- Set more goals and put more effort into achieving their goals.
- Stay more engaged when challenges arise.
- Cope better during stressful times.
- Feel better about themselves and the world around them.
- Get more done.
These four tips will help you to become more optimistic:
- Expect favorable outcomes. This actually primes your brain to be on the lookout for and recognize possibilities.
- Make a list of the good things in your life. Scan your day for three good things that happened that day.
- Journal about positive experiences.
- Make positive comments about the world and people around you.
And just in case doubt and negativity are clouding your thinking right now, trust me, this information has been scientifically proven. And doesn’t that just make you a little more optimistic!
It turns out that optimism is a predictor of how well you perform. The higher your optimism, the better your performance in all areas of life including your health.
