Self-Doubt

The burden of self-doubt.  The Indian mystic, Osho once wrote, "the only thing that matters in life, is your own opinion of yourself."  I have always taken this to mean that our own sense of self should not come from others.  If we have confidence in our own abilities, what others say/think just doesn't matter as much.  Conversely, if we don't trust ourselves and our abilities, that is when we look outward to prop ourselves up. 

Our beliefs about our abilities have a lot to do with how we approach goals and even challenges in our lives.  When you have the inner knowledge that you have the capacity and capability to handle accomplishing what you set out to accomplish and overcome the inevitable challenges that come your way, you just don’t give up so easily.

Honestly, carrying the burden of self-doubt is the perfect example of how we get in our own way when it comes to pursuing a vision or goal.

As with other ways of thinking, you can actually strengthen your ability to challenge unhelpful belief systems and improve what, Albert Bandura refers to as, self-efficacy. The feeling that, “I’ve got this.  I may not know exactly HOW just yet.  I know I will get it.”

One of the most fun and effective ways to do this is by taking on a challenge and mastering a new skill.  It could be anything: cooking, yoga, gardening, meditation, learning a new language or anything else that you can imagine.  This personal experience is super-effective and helps drive your belief in your ability to master other challenges that come your way.  The key is to ACKNOWLEDGE your ability and give yourself the credit you deserve.

My suggestion?  Take on learning something new.  Decide what that will be, maybe something you have always wanted to do and then decide what level of competency you want to achieve.  For example, let’s say you want to learn how to play blues guitar.   Do you want to achieve mastery like Stevie Ray Vaughn OR is your goal to be able to play for your own enjoyment?  There is no right or wrong here, you are just clarifying your desire.  From here you can begin the process of learning this new skill.

Now, get started and don’t forget to celebrate along the way!