THE SILENT SABOTEUR: CONQUERING SELF-DOUBT

🚀When I discovered my passion for writing, I would pour my heart into my work, only to keep it hidden away. I had a collection of books in my wardrobe, filled with my thoughts and ideas, gathering dust😊. I couldn’t bring myself to share them because I was plagued by self-doubt, constantly questioning my abilities and engaging in negative self-talk.

 


Self-Doubt and Negative Self-Talk

“Self-doubt is when you don’t believe in yourself, it is when you lack confidence in yourself and your abilities,” and “Negative self-talk is the internal argument of criticism and negativity directed at oneself, and it negatively impacts your self-esteem, mental health, and overall well-being”.

🚀These internal voices are not just annoying, but direct roadblocks to your progress and peace of mind. They’re a serious barrier in discovering and developing your potential because they can plague your life, keep you in a place for too long, making you stagnant and unable to achieve your personal goals. Recognizing and challenging self-doubt and negative self-talk is essential for improving mental health and achieving personal goals. It's not that easy because you’ll have to fight with yourself.

🚀In 2017 when I started my first blog, I told myself that I would post four write ups every week but for 2 years I just had three posts and seven views, my mind said to me that -hey you are not going to make it, so leave it alone and abandoned everything about it, I felt so disappointed, I judged myself, I concluded that I wasn’t good enough to have anything or achieve anything, it was that bad. Each time I thought of picking it up, my mind would relentlessly remind me it wouldn’t work, so I simply left it. I fought this constant battle with myself, and I know many of you might be going through similar struggles.

🚀These are some features of self-doubt:

✈Constantly pointing out your flaws and mistakes; as I was growing up, one thing I was good at was pointing out my mistakes and flaws to myself and holding onto them, I found it very difficult to let go or forgive myself, most especially if it’s a public one.

✈Always predicting the worst possible outcome; this is an attitude of expecting the worst out of every situation because of previous mistakes.

✈Drawing broad conclusions based on a single event.

✈Always set unrealistic standards and judge yourself harshly.

✈When you feel obligated to meet certain expectations that are often unattainable,

✈Believing that you’re inadequate or unworthy.

🚀Recognizing these patterns is the first step towards breaking free.  I had discovered my potential for writing and making people feel better about themselves, but still, I doubted myself. I believed I could amount to nothing with that. I looked down on myself, and I never appreciated my talents at all. For years, these silent saboteurs held me back, just as they might be limiting you. But the good news is, you don’t have to stay there. In our next post, we’ll dive into the powerful strategies that helped me and can help you cultivate unshakable self-belief and truly unlock your potential💥.