Food For Thought With Cliantha: Self-Doubt

Read Time:3 Minute, 18 Second

Some of the best moments in life are when you kick your self-doubt in the ass by showing yourself that you were always capable of achieving the things that scare us.

I feel like when we start something. It comes from a good place. The end result is the basis of its appeal because we see what we can gain, who we can become. Or better yet the difference we can make.

Like starting a degree to go into a different career path, or starting that business that you’ve spent endless hours thinking and day-dreaming about. Or even that act of courage to finally step up from the shadows and embrace a talent you always had a heart’s desire to fulfil and finally taking a stand to start that journey.

The initial thought of the end result feels so promising. But when you get into the logistics of achieving that desired outcome self-doubt visits and that voice can sometimes be so loud that it has the ability to overshadow your inner voice. The memories of your worse critics comment that they once made about you can then pay you a nasty visit and remind you of all the reasons why you are not capable of achieving great things.

Why you are not capable of getting that degree, or why you will never to able to be the talented young dancer you believed you were, because now you are out of shape and out of practice… and just like that. It becomes a mental battle. Between what you know you are capable of and all the reasons you might not be. Am I talented enough? Can I do this?

Some people stop at this point. Stop before they even tried, because the voices of their inadequacy stop them right at the starting point. Then maybe after many battles, you choose to believe in what you always knew you deserved and go for it. Go driving deep in all that self-doubt and start the journey to be better.

The voices of self-doubt don’t just go away. Most of the time they remain screaming at you to just give up.

There will be times when you feel like you should just give in the towel, but then there are small moments through the journey that silence the noise, like when you pass that exam you thought you were going to fail. Or, when you had a small business and someone makes a big order making you see all the effort was worth it. That someone actually believed in you and what you stand for. Someone saw what you have to offer.

In those moments it’s just you and that initial version you had in the beginning and you see it’s possible and you a step closer to getting the things that scare you.

So for those still in the process of life, and self-doubt…

Here is a friendly reminder to be proud of yourself. I know you have thought of a million and one reasons as to why you shouldn’t, being your worse critic and all.

To those that stopped before they began. I firmly believe that God puts hearts desires there for a reason. So don’t question what you think you should do. If it consumes your thoughts it’s probably because it has to come to pass and nobody can make that happen except you.

So you owe it to yourself to fight through your self-doubt and start the journey.

So here’s to always choosing to kick self-doubt in the behind and not looking at ourselves as the stumbling blocks. The world is filled with people that will make you feel unwelcomed, incapable or less in some way or another. Please make sure you don’t do that to yourself. You can achieve greatness. It all starts with you. One step at a time. – Cliantha Phillips

#Follow Cliantha on Instagram