The Mind is Your Brain’s Worst Enemy — 3 Ways to Defeat Self Doubt

The mind is a terrible thing to waste. It’s also a terrible, debilitating, self-destructive little bugger every once in awhile, isn’t it? Even the folks with the seemingly biggest egos, strongest swagger, and oozing self-confidence are stricken by the mind’s penchant for self-doubt and negative self-talk. In fact, a pretty good argument could be made that the people who show the least impact from this are the ones that struggle the most with it. I’m by no means a psychological professional, but I’m someone with experience dealing with demons and I’ll tell you my 3 Jedi Mind Tricks to handle this situation.

Jedi Mind Trick #1

Ask Better Questions. If you find yourself asking questions, like – Who am I to be giving this advice? Why am I not good enough for this? What gives me the right to think I can do this? Then, you’ve been caught in a mind swirl that is headed in the wrong direction. The problem with these questions is that the answers will inevitably lead you to a bad place. If you ask yourself why you shouldn’t be doing something or why you’re are NOT qualified, then you will answer yourself with reasons why you shouldn’t and you are NOT qualified. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. Instead, have some questions that are well thought out ahead of time and you can ask yourself with pre-planned answers. Questions like, Why am I good enough for this again? What value am I bringing to the table? How will I impact those around me positively today? Those questions will trick your mind into searching out the answers which are all positive. Your mind will reinforce the good and ditch the bad because it can only focus on the one set of questions at a time. Added Bonus- Your brain will even come up with new reasons for your awesomeness that you may not have realized initially!

Jedi Mind Trick #2

The Life Rhyme.  This one seems a bit silly at first, but it’s helped me a ton over the last 3 years. This is a daily ritual that takes me legitimately less than 5 seconds on a daily basis. In my bathroom, next to the vanity I have at least 2 dry erase pens and each morning I grab one and write at least 4 words on the mirror. These are trigger words that I’ve written down ahead of time and determined that they have some meaning. My list of words to pull from are- Health/Wealth, Heart/Smart, Snort/Fort, Earn/Learn, Need/Speed, Write/Right and each word combination has specific meaning for me. For instance, when I write Snort/Fort on the wall it reminds me that day to laugh with reckless abandon and that it’s OK to build forts with the kids. I find that by doing this in the morning I’m more likely to have a great day and to actually find the time to enjoy myself or to remain focused on the right actions. I can revisit these words later in the day and often I scribble these words on an index card or in the margins of a memo to remind myself about what I believe is important.

Jedi Mind Trick #3

Ask for Help. This trick seems easier than it actually is. I setup my help well in advance to call in when the going gets rough. I talk to a colleague, friend or spouse and let them know that I’ll occasionally need them to give me a pep talk. I’ll need them to ask me the right questions and remind me of my goals in order to move forward. This can be a reciprocal relationship, I’d encourage you to share your goals with someone and in return find out about their goals. This seems like a kind of touchy, feely thing to do and maybe it is, but it works. Find someone you trust, share your goals and let him know you have a favor to ask. If you ever need to have a pep talk let them know what buttons to press, what questions to ask and how best to communicate with you. Internal motivation is great and drives us for the long run, but every once in awhile out battery runs dry and it’s OK to ask for a jump start.

There you go. If you plan ahead you can head off that nasty self-talk and doubt with efficiency and reliability. Don’t let your fear get in the way of your next adventure! Everyone needs a mentor or friend now and then to get them through the rough times. If you are interested in articles like this and would me to mentor you directly or through the digital training please reach out to me via sundance@thesalesnerds.com or go to www.thesalesnerds.com and click on The Dojo in the upper right-hand side!