SIX WAYS TO STOP DOUBTING YOURSELF... 1. Know that you are not alone. When we’re doubting ourself and our abilities, it may seem like we’re all alone. It looks like everyone else in the world has it all figured out. Look at them, enjoying success after success. It looks so effortless for everyone else, except for us. Why are we the only ones struggling? Why can’t I seem to make any good decisions in my life? Am I the only one who seems to be screwing up all the time? I’m sure that everyone can relate to those moments. And, that’s the important part to remember – these are all fallacies. No one has everything figured out. We all make mistakes and make poor decisions at various times in our lives. Every human being has moments of doubts and feelings of insecurity. Just knowing that everyone else is scared some of the time and doesn’t know what to do, can make you feel better about your own fears. Unless you can see into the future,you’re just like everyone else. We’re all just trying our best to make the most of our lives. Some days are better than others and some days are worse. Sometimes we feel confident and ready to conquer the world and sometimes we don’t feel like getting out of bed in the morning.Just knowing that other people feel the same doubts as we do helps put it all into perspective. Remember that you are not infallible, and neither is anyone else. 2. Look to your past for accomplishments ­. Writing down a list of your accomplishments ­ or your most proud moments is a great resource to have when you are full of self- doubt. Refer to the list when you are feeling particularly down and need a pick-me-up. Know that if you were able to accomplish something in your life,so you can do it again. Re-read the list when you think that you’ll never get past your feelings of self-doubt. If you did something to be proud of in the past, know that you can do it again in the future . This will boost your confidence and your belief that you are somebodyto be proud of. 3. Let go of your expectations. A lot of self-doubt comes from our expectations of ourselves and of others. If you are expecting everything in your life to go smoothly and not to make any mistakes, well you’ll be in for a rude awakening. When things go differently than what you expected, it can cause you to doubt yourself. When we let go of our expectations, we allow things to happen naturally. You’re separating your feelings of expectations (and possible disappointment) ­ from the actual situation. Let go of your expectation and accept things as they come. Maybe things will turn out to be better than what you expected. 4. Surround yourself with people you love and who love you. Human beings are social creatures. We all crave acceptance, especially by people we love. Ensure that you are around people who unconditionally ­ love you and with whom you love. There’s nothing like being with people who accept you for who you are to build up your confidence. 5. Stop comparing yourself to others. This is another way that feeds into our self- doubt. We look around at others and think that they are better than us. Jane has more Twitter followers as me. John has so many Facebook friends and is so popular. Look at how much Joan is making on her blog and she’s only been writing for four months while I’ve been writing for four years! What’s wrong with me? Just stop it. Stop comparing yourself to other people. No good can come of it. Besides, most of the time it’s an illusion. People only tweet about the good stuff intheir lives. No one wants to tell you that they had another rotten day and that nothing exciting everhappens in their lives. They boost up the one interesting tidbit in their lives in an attempt to make themselves feel better and to make you feel worse about your own life. All those Facebook friends aren’t really friends, either. How close can you be to hundreds (or thousands) of people? Oh, and all that money that Joan said she was making, well she lied. Don’t believe everything people tell you or whatyou read on the Internet. 6. Just Do It. Don’t over-think things. Just Do It. Use this as your mantra every time you areparalyzed with self-doubt. It will get you unstuck and build momentum to keep you moving forward in life. Do your best in each situation, but remember to Just Do It. It doesn’t have to be perfect. No one is perfect all of the time. Get on with life. Stop letting your feelings of self-doubt keep you from enjoying everything that life has to offer. Email:Syrine22rules@gmail.com