Self-Doubt Can Be Your Biggest Problem

Self-doubt is a crippling condition. One of the hardest things for some people to do is to silence that voice that whispers in your ear that you are not good enough. I call it your Gremlin. It is something that can stop even the most skilled individual from reaching full potential.

This is something I know a lot about. I have been facing this dilemma all of my life. No matter how successful I was at something, I still doubted my abilities. I was the master of self-doubt. The funny thing was it was not evident to anybody but me.

Put Self-Doubt Behind You

The good news is that I have finally come to understand how to put that voice out of hearing range.

As a speaker I work with organizations that want their employees or members to be more confident, more decisive and more profitable. One of the biggest problems facing people in their careers is self-doubt.

Why Would They Want Me?

Self-doubt is that feeling you get when you want to try something that seems a bit more difficult than you are accustomed. It might be a simple task in your line of work. It might be applying for a new position. Self-doubt might even play a part in asking someone out on a date.

What I found was self-doubt comes from focusing too much on one’s self. Usually the thought is that “I might fail at this. What will people think?”

People Don’t Care

The truth is that most people do not care. They are thinking about themselves. They are not focused on you. That is a hard reality to accept, but it is true.

There are a thousand reasons why a person might believe they are not good enough. It can come from things that happened in our childhood to things that happen later in life.

The key to overcoming self-doubt is to step back and look at your accomplishments. There are so many things that you have done right. You are where you are because of your victories, not because of your defeats.

Self-Doubt is a Lie

If you hear that voice telling you that you are not good enough, recognize that it is a lie. Step up and take a chance. Think of it this way. Only one team wins the national championship. That means another team had to lose. They are still the second-best team in the sport. That’s not too shabby is it?

Don’t Take Yourself So Seriously

As speaker I know that there are going to be times when I am standing in front of an audience and things do not go as planned. I have seen speakers get really upset when this happens.

The lesson I have learned that has really helped my confidence is “Don’t take yourself too seriously.” People have a tendency to be uptight about their image. Relax. What is happening is only temporary and before long people are going to forget all about it.

Being a speaker gives me the opportunity to help audiences realize their full potential. I am good at it, very good at it. If I had not overcome my self-doubt I would not be able to say that.