A dear friend and mentor once explained to me every time you doubt yourself and linger in that doubt, you set yourself back several steps. “Imagine,” she said, “you are playing a baseball game. You are making great progress as you stand on third base, ready to slide home. The batter hits the ball and you start running but you doubt you can make it. Your doubt will become your reality. In life, it might mean you are set back to second or first base, but you will now have to make up the distance your doubt created.”
Here is the nagging reality. It is really easy to doubt. At some point, in any act of creation, you are probably going to wonder if you are on the right path, cut out to do this, capable, or truly worthy. Your fears grab hold of you and there you are sliding backwards.
Many of us try to ignore our doubts. This usually proves to be unfruitful at best and down-right dangerous at worst. Fears that aren’t addressed tend to rule your life. They lead you toward failure and you wind up wondering why your plans aren’t working and your dreams aren’t coming to fruition. Yet, have you noticed identifying and addressing your own fears can be very difficult to do?
This is one of the reasons people acquire coaches, therapists, counselors, and consultants. Sometimes it is wise to get help so you can get to the core doubt keeping you from success and address it with new perspectives and insights.
Associates you trust can also provide great assistance in helping you identify the fears and doubts holding you back. Once clearly identified, a doubt is often easier to reverse than you might imagine. The initial key is in accurately recognizing the limiting belief and the intense feeling accompanying the belief.
You can also get to limiting beliefs by questioning yourself about your limits. I have discovered I have to keep asking myself challenging questions until I feel the tears welling up inside of me. When I have gotten to that point, I am usually sitting on the edge of my fear. Another question or two beyond that point is frequently at the core. I have learned to feel it, uncomfortable as it might be, until there is a release or catharsis. At that moment, I am ready for a new belief or perspective.
Next: Replacing Doubt With Truth
