10 Simple Tricks to Get Over Your Self-Doubt

If you feel like you're ready to move past your self doubt, I want to help! You can do a lot of things on your own, but some things are just too big. And when it comes to self doubt, it's hard to know where to start or how far you'll get before deciding that the goal is simply too lofty and giving up.

Here are 10 simple tricks to get over your self doubt and start taking action.

1. Talk to A Friend

Talking about your self doubt to a real person is the best way to move past it. Keep asking yourself what you would do if you weren't feeling insecure, and eventually, the answer will come. Because we only have one life, I think most of us could benefit from talking regularly with a close friend or family member.

For example, I had lunch with my boyfriend yesterday and we talked about why we don't make time to spend face-to-face with each other outside of our relationship. The conclusion was that we just needed a little push. We were just so busy lately that we'd forgotten how important it is for our relationship in general and for our own personal growth as well.

2. Be Specific

It's easy to say Don't be afraid, or even Stop thinking you're not good enough, but it's hard to do when you don't feel ready. One way to create needed momentum is by being specific and setting goals that are small enough so they don't seem unattainable, but big enough so they stretch you.

I really like the idea of starting with small steps and working your way up until you've knocked out every single one. This is basically a baby step progress plan, which is great for someone with self-doubt because it doesn't require a lot of faith that you'll get anything done. It just requires a little bit of faith that you'll get started first.

3. Tell Yourself I can do this over and over

I've found that self-doubt manifests itself as excuses and I've also found that the antidote to excuses is a positive mindset. Rather than saying to myself, I don't have time, I tell myself, I can make time. Instead of saying It's too hard, I say, I'm strong enough and smart enough to persevere.

I think what this does for me is remove doubt from the equation so there's no room for it the doubt to sneak in. It also builds up my confidence, which makes me less worried about being judged and it makes me more capable of doing anything at all.

4. Write Your Goals Down

I like to use Goal Journal, which is a free app for your phone and computer that takes seconds to set up. I love it because it's so simple, but it also makes me feel more accountable. Even if you're not completely confident in yourself, you can feel more confident when you see something written down. It's a good reminder that progress has been made and that progress will continue to be made if you keep working at it.

5. Find Your Inspiration

I've written before about how important self respect is in getting over self-doubt, but I want to reiterate that here because I love how powerful it is in getting started on something new. If you don't respect yourself and think you are capable of something, then why try? If, however, you think of yourself as someone who deserves happiness in your life and that you can create a bright future for yourself then it's much easier to believe in your own abilities.

6. Don't Compare Yourself to Others

Comparison is the thief of joy. Once I started comparing myself to other people who were doing more than I was, I quickly stopped myself because it just made me feel bad about myself. It's not the same thing as getting inspiration from them which is always a good idea, but it can be dangerous if you compare how much you're doing with how much others are doing.

7. Clear Your Schedule

I used to feel like I needed to have a perfectly organized schedule in addition to having a lot of work, but it's not as important as I thought it was. One study that has been done showed that time is always ticking away"and you can't put back the time you've spent. So if you're scrambling around, trying really hard to get things done and not accomplishing anything, then there may be an issue with your schedule or your priorities. It's not always about setting aside hours each day for work or for sleep; it's about clearing away distractions so you can focus on the task at hand.

8. Don't Try to Finish Everything

There's a certain level of anxiety that comes along with accomplishing goals and being successful. We think we have to have everything 100% done, but it's not worth it. It doesn't make us feel better or more accomplished to have everything ready to go, so instead I'll say that if you just do the absolute minimum first, then you'll eventually be able to move on to bigger and better things.

I've found that if I really want to get something done, then I do my absolute best and complete whatever is needed. Once I finish whatever is needed, then I will move on after giving myself a little pep talk that says It feels like success already.

9. Take It One Step at a Time

There's a reason that traditional self help books usually suggest you start something new and then make sure it looks nice before moving on. Once you start to feel good about yourself then you can justify setting aside time for the task that is next on your list. You can't really get really excited or motivated to do something until you feel like being successful with the current thing you're doing. So don't worry if your first thing doesn't go perfectly, as long as it's good enough.

10. Visualize Your Success

I love this idea because it makes me believe in myself more than I already did when I only had words in my head. I also like this idea because it's so easy to do once you develop the ability to do so. I find my self-confidence and self respect increases tenfold when I take a few minutes right before I go to bed and visualize myself accomplishing something that will make me feel good.

It's not necessary to visualize imaginary things, but it is helpful if you can conjure up images of things you already want to accomplish. Try something like drawing a picture from memory of yourself making progress towards your goal and then watching it happen in your mind.

Conclusion

I hope these tips help you that it's easier to be self-doubt free. I've always struggled with self-esteem and doubt has always been a problem for me. After reading these tips, I had an idea of how to deal with my own self doubt, which was to do more of the things on this list. So if you're struggling with self doubt, what have you tried already? My bet is that at least one of these tips is similar to something you've already tried.