Self-doubt leads no where

A chance meeting at a restaurant gave me the inspiration for this blog. The young waitress had been at her job for too long for her liking. In her words, she was "stuck." She had been there "long enough" and wanted a change.

In this case, her obstacle was self doubt. She knew what she wanted and that she wanted "to get out of here." She wanted to be an airline attendant, but didn't know how to get there. Unsure of her abilities, she was scared to make the next step.

For most of us, fear plays a huge role in the decisions we make. Self doubt can steer even the most confident of people off of their paths. Throughout my reading of multiple blogs and websites, there were many reoccurring pieces of advice. If self doubt is your obstacle, here are 5 ways to overcome it.

1. Let go of the need to know how you will create your vision of what you want.
   
   It is unlikely that you will know the path to achieving your goals. That is something that you will figure out as you go. People start to doubt themselves when they cannot see how to create their goals.
    
2. Remind yourself of how important your goal is to you.
   
   Set aside time during your day to imagine where you would like to be five or ten years. Imagine how you would feel if it happened and what it looks like. Allow yourself to be immersed in the image; getting excited about it will drive your desire to attain it.
   
   
3. Realize it when the voice of self doubt is talking.
   
   This voice largely appears because people are afraid of change. If you know when the voice is speaking, you will be able to gain perspective and look past it.
   
   
4. Get the doubts and fears down on paper and out of your mind.
   
   Instead of allowing your negative thoughts to play on repeat, write them down. Then take a blank sheet of paper, write down positive words of why you can reach your goal. Reading the positive words over and over again will create a sense of confidence to go after your goals.
    
5. Repeat a personalized affirmation to yourself.
   
   
   This will instil positive beliefs around your ability to create your vision. You can use the positive words that you created in four, or sayings that resignate with you. Such as, "I believe in myself, I deserve to have what I want, I am safe," or whatever feels right.
   

And the sixth I would add is just do it! Being tired of the status quo is what finally pushed her to "do it." She called a school and will begin taking classes next week. If you want something in life, you just need to do it. Sitting around thinking about it gets you nowhere. I guess Nike said it best, Just Do It.