Blog | Personal Finance

3 Ways to Stop Doubting Yourself

How to boost your confidence and fight self-doubt

You can't do it. Just give up. You're going to fail. It's impossible.

Any of these sound familiar?

There's a nagging voice inside all of us that likes to convince us that we aren't good enough. That we can't succeed. It's the voice of self-doubt, and it's one of the most difficult things to overcome on the road to financial independence.

No matter where you are in your financial journey, this voice speaks up and prevents you from moving forward. Even if you succeed, self-doubt can still creep up on you, causing you to question all your achievements.

The good news is you can control this voice. Here are three ways to combat self-doubt.

1) Adopt a mantra

I loved watching Laurie Hernandez compete for the US in gymnastics at the Olympics. Before she began a particularly tricky routine, Laurie was filmed mouthing the words, "I got this." That simple phrase gave her an extra boost of confidence to get her through the event.

A mantra is a self-affirming, positive phrase that can help you combat your self-doubt. Spend some time choosing a mantra that works for you, and use it in moments when your self-doubt tries to hold you back.

If you need a place to start, check out this article from Sonima about the mantras of other female Olympic athletes.

2) Spend time with the right people

Sometimes it's hard to be the one to pick yourself back up. Often our instinct is to turn to friends and family to lift us up. But that only works if you have surrounded yourself with positive and supportive people.

When you experience self-doubt, seek out uplifting people who believe in you, who will affirm your abilities, and not feed into your fears. Pruning negative influences from your life is a difficult process, but it's worth it in the end. Your chances of beating self-doubt are far greater when you have the right support system around you.

3) Increase your knowledge

Self-doubt is often rooted in fear of the unknown. That's why when I experience doubt, I like to spend time increasing my financial knowledge. I believe in being a lifelong learner. The more I study and put into practice what I've learned, the more confident I am in my abilities.

If you feel you aren't prepared or can't do something, spend some time increasing your knowledge and education. The more you understand it, the less scary it is.

Self-doubt never goes away

No matter how much money you make or success you have, you will always encounter self-doubt. Learning how to overcome it is one of the best things you can do to ensure you move ahead in life. Start today, and see how you can silence that annoying voice in your mind.