As introverts, we love to doubt ourselves. We are not the loudest ones in the room, and so we think we have nothing to show.
But let me tell you: your overthinking and your hunger for knowledge gave you important skills.
You just have to tell someone about them and express them.
Everyone has self-doubts.
Self-doubts are a survival mechanism from your brain: it wants to keep you safe at home. Eating candy in front of the TV is comfortable and not risky. But it’s also not fulfilling.
Why is your brain afraid of the outside world?
Because it’s uncertain, and you cannot prepare for it. It’s a threat.
The brain is overthinking and making up excuses and doubts to keep you inside your comfort zone.
“I’m not good enough.”
“They will laugh at me.”
“I will look stupid.”
“Let’s watch some fun TV instead.”
Those thoughts are not the truth. You don’t know what will happen. 98% of worries don’t happen.
This is all in your mind.
Which is a good thing because you can change it.
The negative, overthinking, and over-worrying brain is not you. It’s a part of you that you can change.
But instead of fighting it, we will put it in the passenger seat of life.
Because self-doubts will always be there, and you don’t want to fight your whole life.
Instead, you accept that part of you and put it in the passenger seat because you are taking over the wheel.
the best tool to slay self-doubt:
Have a badass success list
I found this tool in the book “Be Seen” by Jen Gottlieb, and it changed my life.
Our brain tends to remember the negative parts of our parts, and we are now making a list of positive moments to go against it.
Get yourself a pen and paper now. I’ll wait here for a moment.
Ready?
Write down every moment in which you were a badass and you achieved something!
every time you felt like a badass
every time you achieved something
every time you did something not many others did
Go through every year of your life.
Take a few moments and remember!
My list includes:
got my Bachelor’s degree
organized a career fair
became president of a student organization
did my first workshop
published my first newsletter
went public on Instagram
and the list goes on…
Those are things I thought I would never do in my life. And now some are part of my comfort zone.
Now this list of success stories is for your dark moments.
When you feel like an imposter. When you feel like you didn’t achieve anything. When you feel like you know nothing.
But this is also for the important moments when you have to negotiate your salary or when you need extra motivation before giving a presentation.
I use this tool also as a positive list of work-related situations to be able to remember them at the yearly review meeting.
Documenting positive moments in general is a good idea, but at work, make a list of:
every time you get a compliment for your work
every time you achieve something
every time you are proud of doing that
After a year, you will have a list of great moments you can show to your boss.
The badass list tool shouldn’t just include what success means to society’s standards, but what it means to you and when you had that feeling.
Which can include:
getting a discount because you asked
got out of your comfort zone and went somewhere alone
you were kind to someone and they were really happy because of your help
achieved something you thought was not possible
Think about those points for a moment!
For me, that list includes:
going to networking events and speaking to amazing women
traveling alone for a week
asked around when I lost my headband
This list will give you the motivation and the courage to expand your comfort zone because you know you’ve done it before.
And you know you are a badass!
Conclusion
You will always doubt yourself, but you now have the tool to bring you back to reality and to put your inner critic on the passenger seat.
The badass list consists of the true successes of your life. Those are the truths.
Your self-doubts are based on lies to save you from uncertainty.
Remember the positive moments of your past, and let them help you have the courage for a better future!
What is part of your badass list?
I would love to hear about it in the comments!
Reading of the Week
I found Ali a few months ago on YouTube, and I love his videos about productivity and business. This book resonates with me so much because, at the beginning of my productivity journey, I was obsessed with efficiency, and it made me sick and unhappy.
It’s important to be productive but also happy with what you are doing, and taking care of yourself.
It’s a great book!
Gratitude of the Week
Thank you for reading my newsletter!
I’m currently working on a big ebook about all the lessons I learned about productivity, work-life balance, and positivity. The book from Ali Abdaal addresses the earlier problems I had with productivity, and I want to share with you the tools and strategies I have.
In this newsletter, I only share 1 story each week, but you can read everything on my website or Medium.
Let’s connect! Follow me on social media:
All the best and I wish you a nice week,
Karina
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