Combatting Self-Doubt

This week has been extremely challenging. I have been a bit uninspired. I typically post on Tuesday, but here it is the wee hours of Friday morning, and I am sorting through my thoughts and that ultimately leads me to writing. I have been so busy with work and family responsibilities that I just couldn’t find the desire to finish any of the six drafts that I started. I noticed as I was being quite unsuccessful at falling asleep, that some strong negative self-talk was starting to play louder and louder. Since I am the positive self-talk, manifestation lady, it’s time to practice what I preach (again!). So, today’s musing is a real-life example of how I pull myself up and combat that nagging inner critic fueled by self-doubt.

Listen to the Inner Voice

First things first, hear the message that is playing. Acknowledge that it is there. It is affecting you either way. If you want to lessen its impact, face it head on. How does it make you feel? Ideally, it will make you quite uncomfortable and you start to reject it as soon as you realize that it is there. We all have automatic thoughts and triggers that can creep in when we are not operating at our best self. However, if it is a comfortable presence, there is more work to do to really root out what it is saying. It’s time to roll up your sleeves and get to work.

Weigh the Evidence

How does that voice standup against the evidence? In my case, I was hearing, “you don’t finish anything. No one cares whether you blog anyway. Who is going to listen to you?” My arch nemesis, insecurity and self-doubt, was trying to make a comeback, but what does the evidence show? I have taken on an expanded role at work and am in the temporary chaos of a new beginning. I am not home. I came to visit my daughter and her family to give them a little support while she is getting through the first trimester of my next grand prince or princess. While here, I worked my regular schedule and went to spend some time with a dear friend in the hospital. Someone asked me for this week’s post and someone else said how much they enjoy my positive affirmations and text messages.

Let the record show that my current inner voice is a liar! I have finished quite a bit, extended myself to family and friends and the career is going nicely. I can easily counter each negative thought as it pops up and that’s exactly what I am doing. You can do the same. As me and the nemesis play emotional volleyball, I can feel myself relaxing. The creative juices are flowing again. If you are reading this, you are a witness to that.

Rewrite/Reframe Your Story

My story has been reframed. I finish what I start even if it sometimes takes longer than planned. Someone looks forward to what I have to say. That’s huge. If one person, grabs one thing from what I write and it makes their life a little better, WOW!!! The thought of that gives me a lot of personal satisfaction and hope. Satisfaction and hope are two ingredients for a stellar existence. Don’t be afraid to rewrite your story. You are who you believe that you are. My blog is officially a month old today and if I had listened to the nagging inner voice, it would likely be over. But here I sit at 4:24 am typing away and feeling quite joyful. I may feel differently at 6:00 am when the alarm goes off, but that is a different issue. There is no way that I would have slept anyway because the voice was winning. She has been subdued for now and I know if she makes a return, that we will have a conversation that she can’t win.

Learn from the Process

My hope is that you will take the time to notice and really listen to what you say about you. We all have blind spots and shadows. There are parts of our inner being that we don’t realize are there. That inner voice will shed some light on what is really going on inside. You acknowledge it, adjust your thinking and learn during the process. It is the digging in and really learning about the origin of the voice that can gives you the insight to silence it or at least combat it. It takes practice but doing so will serve you well.

Rest in Reality

Now that we have acknowledged the voice, adjusted your thinking and learned from the experience, it is time to rest. We can rest in the reality of who we really are. We can give ourselves a little grace resting in the fact that we are all works in progress and doing the best we can from moment to moment. Be kind to yourself so that you have plenty of kindness to share with others. Rest in what you have accomplished. Rest in what you learned when things didn’t go as planned. Rest in knowing that you are you and no one else is qualified for the job. Enjoy the journey!