It is very easy to let yourself be bogged down by swarms of doubt running through your head. After all, your worst critic is yourself. Blame it on human nature, but men and women are hyper-critical of themselves. It is a real shame. In all honesty, it is sad to see so many promising people cast aside opportunities, experiences, and projects due to this overriding doubt that consumes to a point he or she decides to withdraw from their undertaking. Dr. Joe Rubino, author of The Self-Esteem Book, shares an unsettling fact that “85% of the world’s population are affected by low self esteem”. That statistic needs to be lowered. Imagine all the great things that could be done by men and women who realized their potential and harnessed their energies to produce the wonderful thoughts and inventions racing around in his or her brilliant mind. Our world would be full of actualized dreams. That sounds pretty wonderful to me.
Luckily, you can avoid the scam that is doubt by remembering just how awesome you really are. On days where you feel low or someone has beat up your ego, rely on the fact that a bad mood or a rude person has no bearing on you or your capabilities. I understand the temptation to retreat to an emo phase; I often want to myself when I feel hurt. I understand the sinking feeling felt when somebody critiques my work that I thought was perfect. I wallow in self pity for around seven seconds. Then I suddenly snap out of my funk and remind myself how damn cool and worthy I am. All my woes feel silly and leave my mind as I concentrate on the positives of my life. More often than not, the “negatives” of life really are not negative at all. That bad hair and skin day that is keeping you from going to school to present your paper . That C+ paper your teacher just handed back to you. That empty bank account eagerly waiting for its direct deposit. None of these things are bad in actuality. Only you have the ability to see these things as something else. They simply are what they are. These scenarios have the capability of setting you back and sending you into a doubt filled super. But who wants that? That haze of doubt does not just sound exhausting- it is exhausting. Choose to acknowledge less than thrilling days and critiques and move on. You, your sanity and your self esteem will thank you tenfold as time goes on.
When your brain is in doubt it is stuck, stuck between two opposing sides. Your mind is in a limbo that keeps your from being your best self. Avoid the mental exhaustion and focus your time, energies, and emotions on coming to a conclusion. Confused? Let me break it down.
The quickest way to relieve your doubt is to make a decision. Make a decision about what you are going to do or how you feel. Get out of limbo. Make a decision and move on. You will likely find that you feel relief simply from finally going with something. If it turns out the choice you made was not the right one in the end. Oh well. Life is made up of learning moments. We have all heard that we will make mistakes, and from those mistakes comes a lesson. It is okay to take a life lesson every once in awhile. Those experiences and subsequent effects will make you uniquely you
You are human. You deserve sanity. So do not beat yourself up over everyday annoyances. Remember your worth and carry on friend.
‘Til next time
Christine