Tackling Self-Doubt Before It Takes Over

Mega-celebrity Oprah Winfrey has talked often about her feelings of inadequacy. She has experienced the classic symptoms of impostor syndrome: self-doubt and feelings that she is a fraud. She has thoughts that at any time, people will discover she is a fake and that her success is sheer luck instead of the outcome of hard work.

If she hadn't addressed these feelings early on in life, self-doubt could have kept her from the many incredible accomplishments she has made. Here are a few ways she and other successful people have kept feelings of self-doubt and inadequacy from taking over, and ruining, their lives. You can apply the same methods.

Give Yourself Credit

When doubt pops up, revisit previous successes. This is proof that you can make great things happen. Use the lessons learned from past achievements to banish the self-doubt that keeps you from future success.

Forget Fear

Fear of failure leads to self-doubt. You start rationalizing so many ways that you will fail. If you embrace these thoughts, you can't confidently move forward. Fear might keep you from failing, but failures lead to experience. Making mistakes is how you learn, grow, and improve.

Recognize Thoughts for What They Are

It's smart to be skeptical of your thoughts. We used to believe that we should take action based upon our thoughts. We now know that the tens of thousands of thoughts we have every day are primarily negative and can be limiting or even damaging if acted upon.

They're just thoughts, your brain processing information. They are in no way able to predict the future. In other words, most of the time, you shouldn't act upon your thoughts alone, because they aren't acting in your best interests.

Ask Yourself, "Who Cares?"

“If I fail, stumble, or fall, everyone will make fun of me.” If you think like this, you are practically begging self-doubt to keep you from success. The truth is most of the time nobody is watching you. And if they are, who cares? Everyone has made mistakes. Everyone has failed at something. It’s part of living. So, live your life. Take action. You can do great things if you believe in yourself.

Self-doubt might be your psyche trying to protect itself. It could be the product of adults telling you you were not good enough as a child. The highest achievers often underestimate their abilities and discount their achievements. Whatever the reason, self-doubt begins to creep into your mind. Push it aside. You are capable of achieving anything, and you are worthy of credit for creating a wonderful life.

Ready to go deeper? You can take my online course "The Imposter Syndrome Solution" and I will guide you through the complex maze of Impostor Syndrome, shedding light on its intricacies and equipping you with effective tools to dismantle it.