Posted by Tommy Runfola | June 13, 2017
4 Ways to Overcome Self-doubt and Gain more Confidence
We’ve all heard cases of people suffering from self-doubt or a lack of confidence after they have faced a setback in life. The situation can be extremely disturbing. This happened to me multiple times throughout my life and I can say that it is difficult to get out of this phase. It holds you back and deteriorates your self-confidence. You start to feel like you are incompetent and have doubts about your abilities. The situation can grow with intensity if it isn’t tackled right away. There are certain ways you can overcome self-doubt and gain more confidence; they worked for me, and I believe they will work for you as well. Let’s get to it and get your confidence back.
1. Learn from the mistake instead of dwelling in it
If you recently faced a failure in life i.e. lost a sale, got passed up for a promotion or a suffered from a business blow it is important to learn from your mistakes. Then pick up the pieces, stop doubting your abilities, and move ahead. I believe that failures are necessary for a person’s growth. From my experience, I learned much more from failure than I did from my success.
It taught me to stay grounded and to use my abilities to their best. Self-doubt is, “a belief we have sometimes below the surface of our consciousness. They can be devastating to our confidence and achievement levels,” says Andrew Shatte in an article for fastcompany.com. But we all have the power to decide how we want to feel. So learn from your mistake and move forward, dwelling in it will only help the doubt grow.
2. Talk to someone you trust about your self-doubt
Failure can seriously shatter your confidence. It can bring your morale down and make you de-motivated. Your best friend or any other person that is close to you can come to your rescue if you are facing such a situation. A study from huffingtonpost.com states, “People who have strong social support have fewer cardiovascular issues and lower levels of cortisol when compared to people with fewer friends.”
I confined my best friend (aka my wife CJ) about my self-doubts and the things that were holding me back from moving on. It worked for me because talking out what was on my mind helped to change my perspective and gain more confidence.
3. Remember a time you felt highly confident
Another way to gain more confidence during a phase of self-doubt is to remember your accomplishments and achievements. Take notes from your success stories and concentrate on the factors that made you achieve your highs. This practice instilled confidence in me, and I was able to fight the failure and start anew.
In a forbes.com article, Valorie Burton suggests to, “Take note of the areas where you currently feel the most frustrated, stressed and be honest with the conversations you need to have.” Those conversations are the fact that you are in a bad spot, not a bad life. Remember the times you felt highly confident and get back in the game.
4. Boost your self-confidence by improving your skills
Know the things that are holding you back and work on them. Improving can help you to sharpen your skills and reduce the chances of failure in the future. Read some books or listen to motivational stories on the internet; it will help you to gain self-confidence and push away the self-doubt so you can come out of the doubtful state you are currently in. A psychology expert in the Forbes article states, “When you can connect passion with action it gives you a sense of purpose and energy.”
There you have them friends, four ways to get out of self-doubt and back into confidence. The bottom line is that doubt is a factor in life. Living in doubt, however, is a choice that we can all make. Next time you find yourself in a mindstate of feeling doubtful or sorry for yourself come back to these four steps and let me help you get back into a state of confidence and success.
“Doubt only wins when you let it.”
Tommy R.
p.s. comment below and share how you overcome self-doubt.
p.s.s check out my latest FREE ebook to help you gain more confidence. Click link to get it: DRIVEN