Taking Your Self-Doubt Too Seriously

“Yeah? Well, you know, that's just like uh, your opinion, man.” –The Dude

Self-doubt wouldn’t be as much of a problem if we didn’t take it so damn seriously.

We often think we really need to listen to it.

That it’s intuition or a sign that we need to pay attention to.

That we need to pause and reconsider what we are doing.

That something has gone wrong. That something needs to change. That we aren’t prepared enough. That we aren’t ready. That we aren’t good enough.

But in reality, self-doubt isn't a message telling us any of these things. 

Instead, self-doubt is just a message telling us we have some crappy thoughts we might want to address. Those thoughts are creating the self-doubt.

And if you're prone to self-doubt and negative self-talk, all that’s happening is that your brain is playing its regularly scheduled programming. The same set of thoughts on repeat - maybe with a tweak here or there - but it is the same set of thoughts on loop that your brain plays to conserve energy.

Programming that pops up when you start something new or are doing something that is challenging.

Or sometimes when you are just existing and minding your own business.

You can explore it, see where it's coming from. That can absolutely be helpful.

But don't take it as unquestionable proof that you need to change anything that you are doing or about who you are. Or that you have a reason to doubt yourself.

Your brain doesn’t want you to do anything that requires effort or that it perceives as “dangerous” (including anything that might have you feeling some negative emotion). It doesn’t want to experience any kind pf pain (including the pain that comes with stretching outside of your comfort zone).

So it uses self-doubt to keep you where you are.

The long-term solution is to work on changing your self-doubt programming to some programming that is more helpful. So what plays on repeat serves you better.

In the meantime, remember that you can stop taking self-doubt so seriously even while the old programming is playing.

Acknowledge it. Say “Hi, I see you. You seem important, but you aren’t.” And carry on.

Or my personal preference - it’s a great time to quote the Dude.

A ❤️ note to you: I’m here to help you do both - change your automatic brain programming and take your self-doubt less seriously. Both of which will help you create a life that feels more expansive. I have TWO spots open for my 1:1 coaching program this summer. September always feels like a fresh start to me. Maybe because it used to be the beginning of a new school year. What if by the time that fresh start rolled around this fall you were already well under way on making your work life feel better? How much fresher would it feel?

To get started on the freshest of fresh starts, sign up for a free call with me at jenndealcoaching.as.me/consult.