Everyone has doubts. Yet there are so many people who are plagued by them. This article will reveal a new way to work through and eventually release any pressing doubt you may have. By adjusting the way you perceive your own doubts you will enter into an entirely new relationship with your unsettling thoughts, with those so-called traitors. All you have to do is follow three simple steps.
1. Do not believe everything that you think.
Psychologists estimate that we have about sixty thousand thoughts a day. This means that as you become more aware of yourself and your thoughts, you also realize that there are some thoughts you can agree with and others you can discard. By turning over a given thought in your mind you can look at it from multiple angles, instead of automatically believing it to be true.
Some thoughts are absolutely fantastic but many are not true at all. Many believe that because they had a negative thought, it means that the thought is the truth and therefore they are a bad person. This is not the case. Thoughts are submitted to your awareness for your approval before they hold any power over you, regardless of how negative they may seem at first. If you know a thought is not helping you, take a deep breath, discard it, and replace it with a positive affirmation. You do not discard the thought by resisting it. This will only make the thought stronger. Instead, let it float into your awareness, consider it, and then fill your mind with something better.
2. Make time for yourself.
This may seem obvious and easy. But the simplest answers are easiest to forget about. Taking time to relax and reflect each day will increase your productivity by an enormous amount. As you find an onslaught of doubts coming on, do not let them overcome you.
- Get up and do something.
- Be spontaneous and go explore a new area.
- Get lost in a good book.
- Watch an inspiring movie.
- Go for a long run.
- Watch the sunset.
- Take a long, hot shower.
- Listen to soothing music, such as the classics.
- Go to a relaxing place after work and unwind for thirty minutes.
- Call an old friend and ask how they are doing.
- Focus your mind on other things and other people.
It is often when your mind is completely off your problem that your answer will come to you. The truth is that you will be of no help to others if you are tired and burned out. Yes, work hard. Yes, be disciplined and persistent with your goals. Just do not be afraid to unplug and simplify your life by taking time to yourself every day. You deserve it.
3. Embrace it.
Bringing the process to completion, now you must obtain a new understanding of what your doubts mean. Throughout your life you have viewed your doubts as annoying, negative, and frustrating. Instead, be open to viewing them as signposts and guides telling you that you are on the right path and where to make course corrections. The key point is that doubts simply mean that you are expanding your comfort zone. People who lead their fields, who are green and growing, often have doubts three to four nights a week. This is because they are taking risks and moving forward. They know these doubts are a normal and natural human tendency.
It is the champion, the winner, who pushes forward anyway. Think about it like this. When a plane takes off, especially on a rainy day, there is usually going to be some turbulence as it climbs through the clouds. Does a pilot, after hitting turbulence, level off below the clouds or even worse turn back and land? Of course not! The pilot makes sure to keep on climbing, eventually making it above the clouds. The sun is always shining behind the clouds. It is the same thing with your doubts. Once you push through your own doubts and self-limiting beliefs, your confidence will increase and you will reach a whole new level of living.
About the Author:
Jeff Davis is currently living and working in Baltimore, Maryland. He is studying at Johns Hopkins Carey Business School to receive his Masters of Finance. He speaks about the advantages of small colleges. He has lived in Budapest, Hungary for an entire year and traveled all over the world. He also enjoys seeing his family in Newtown, Connecticut.