Conquering Self-Doubt

"There is nothing more dreadful than the habit of doubt. Doubt separates people. It is a poison that disintegrates friendships and breaks up pleasant relations. It is a thorn that irritates and hurts; it is a sword that kills."
-The Buddha

I've come to realize the power of the phrase "I can". It's not just the basis of many motivational speeches, it's an outlook that's completely sensible and has results that are historically proven.

According to Tony Robbins, the pioneer of the life coaching industry, when you are certain of your abilities and you have sufficient reason and motivation to pursue a goal, you tap into more of your potential which leads you to take bigger and better action which gives you more satisfying results which goes back and reinforces your certainty in your abilities. You accomplish more which makes you want to go back and try something more challenging, to take it to the next level. All of this starts with nothing more than knowing you are capable and having motivation toward a goal.

In 1954 Roger Bannister became the first person in recorded history ever to run a mile in less than 4 minutes. In the two years following this milestone, 37 other people ran a mile in less than 4 minutes. Did we all of a sudden discover a group of supermen with genetic mutations that made them run faster? No, people just realized that they were capable of more and tapped into the potential that was always there. Their new found certainty yielded them result that had never been seen before.

What can you take from this?

If you have a goal, don't let self-doubt get in your way of accomplishing it. When you decide on a goal, never simply say, "I would like to... if I can". This statement includes doubt. What you should say is, "I need to and am going to...because...which will make me happier and improve my life". When you have to do something and plan for it in a way that will benefit you, you are much more likely to do it than if "you'd like" to do something.

Don't make failure an option, and it won't be an issue. When failure is an option, you begin taking less action "just in case", which doesn't yield the most satisfying results which makes you believe failure is closer than it actually is.

Don't just think you can do it, know you can do it, and you will do it.

Smile, breathe, and go slowly.