Kicking self-doubt´s butt!

Self-doubt arises when we don´t trust ourselves. We don´t think we´re good enough, talented enough, attractive enough, important enough, intelligent enough, rich enough, young enough, old enough...I could go on, but you get my drift.

And that´s OK. Seriously, it is. Self-doubt is, for the vast majority of us (I might even be so bold as to say all of us) unavoidable at certain times in our lives, so we might as well make the most of it, don´t you think? Because, believe it or not, if we so choose we can, in fact, let it work with us rather than against us, and here´s how.

If we keep on remembering the universal law of yin & yang – the ever present spot of light in the dark and dark in the light – then we realise that the things we see and categorise as “bad” are never totally that, any more than the things we see and categorise as “good” are never totally that either. There is always some good in bad and some bad in good. Whichever we choose to focus on is the element that will grow.

So, when it comes to self-doubt, if we can accept that it does have its positive elements, its helpful side, then we´re getting somewhere. All that self-doubt is trying to do at the end of the day is to protect us, to save us from possible failure, humiliation, destitution, maybe even death. It might have a tendency to take itself terribly seriously and be a bit of a drama-queen, but it amounts to no more than a well-intentioned warning that “things just might go wrong you know.”

Seen in that light, it doesn´t seem all that bad, does it? It´s when we let it spiral out of control, when we allow our monkey-mind´s incessant chattering to plunge us into the murky waters of self-pity and self-sabotage that it becomes a hindrance in our lives and, at those times, it is advisable to kick its butt.

The next time self-doubt creeps up on you, view it as an opportunity to regain your confidence, to affirm your intention and your power to the universe. It needn´t stop you in your tracks, fill you with fear and make you feel like a victim, useless and powerless to instigate any change in your life. You are in control and you are choosing to do things differently from now on. Hold an image in your mind´s eye of the outcome you are intending. See yourself successfully having accomplished whatever it is you are intending to accomplish. You don´t even need to know how you did it, just see yourself wherever it is you intend to be, feeling however you intend to feel, looking however you intend to look, succeeding at whatever you intend to succeed at. If the image isn´t all that clear, don´t worry, focus rather on the emotions that this scenario causes and feel them all as fully as possible. Enjoy them!

It´s a simple choice; focus on the dark or focus on the light. They will always both be present, but as I said before (and it´s well worth repeating because it´s the truth) what we focus on grows.

In other words, self-doubt can be an enemy, or an ally. It´s up to us.

And even though we can kick its butt, we can never knock it out of the ring completely.

Which, all things considered, is probably a good thing.