Experiencing doubts about yourself, be it your ability or credibility, fuels your fears of not being good enough. Fear is the number one enemy that stops most people in their tracks. Having doubts about yourself is a normal part of being human, but it’s what you do about these doubts that really counts. Most people doubt themselves sometimes. Some people have a lot of doubt and others only experience it occasionally. Most people who meet me say they would be surprised if I ever doubted myself, yet I know there are times when I do just that.
I’d been playing around with and talking about a project I wanted to do for 4 years. All of the people I respect professionally said I could do this standing on my head. They had no doubt about my ability to do this and said they knew I’d do it to an extremely high standard. However, for 4 years I’d skirted around the edge of really getting this project on the road. Of course I had a good idea there was something stopping me but until this point, I hadn’t wanted to identify specifically what it was. But if I really wanted to get moving, I knew I had to identify what was holding me back. This block needed to be specific and be written down to enable me to see it clearly and leave me free to choose what to do about it. Once I could see clearly that I doubted my credibility and feared I wasn’t good enough, I knew what the next inspired action should be. I needed external approval.
I shared with a few people that this was the next step for me and they thought it was totally unnecessary, but I knew I had to take this step because it was an inspired action deriving from clarity, not fear. As I took the next step, which involved reading some more information, my heart sank, I felt my energy level dropping and my inspiration turning and running the other way. At this point, I knew the external approval I thought I needed was not the best route to choose for me. However, taking this step had allowed me to see how unnecessary external approval was for me personally and how it didn’t match my style and approach. As I’d read the information and noticed how out of synch it was for me, I was reminded of my strengths, of what I as an individual had to offer and that my style and approach was unique. But I needed to see this for myself and this is what taking the next step had achieved.
When there is something blocking your way forward, I invite you to identify specifically what it is in writing. When you are clear about it, you can then see what the next inspired action is for you. If it’s fear based, such as self-doubt, then choose to take an action step forward, however small, so that you can face and overcome your fear.
When you experience any doubt about yourself, you need to get in touch with your unique strengths, your achievements and your uniqueness as an individual. Then take a step forward into the unknown to bolster your self-belief. Other people can help to build this belief externally but it’s even more powerful if you build it yourself internally. Taking inspired actions are essential for self-belief.
Wendy Hearn works with business owners, professionals and executives to discover and unlock their own inspiration, to effortlessly take the actions required to have the success they desire. To receive Wendy’s free newsletter, send an email to: newsletter@wendyhearn.par32.com http://www.Business-Personal-Coaching.com Copyright 2003, Wendy Hearn. All rights reserved.
