—Mike Hazell (Image Licensed)
It is almost hard to comprehend the debilitating power of self-doubt, especially for those who don’t regularly experience the condition. It can literally stop us in our tracks, halting all forward movement. It can sap the energy from our core, and lead to a dormant, reactive existence if we let it take over.
But here’s the exciting aspect of self-doubt: this condition exists solely within the interconnected neurons of our brain, meaning we have the power to transform the landscape at any given moment. The antithesis of self-doubt is, obviously, self-confidence. Since the two cannot simultaneously exist in our active thought patterns, it makes sense to squelch the former while fostering the latter.
Have you ever met someone who is chronically negative about life? They have reached this state because the chemical neurotransmitters moving across the synapse—that point of communication between two neurons—have become a figurative broken record, habitually sending negative messages. This cascades throughout the system, resulting in the dour state of mind. It works the same way with self-doubt.
The first proactive step we can take is to recognize when these thoughts are permeating the neural network of our brain. Visualize the image accompanying this post, but turn the shade of the image from red into a deep, sky blue. If that seems difficult to do (there is a reason for that), have a deep blue swatch or image handy to focus on. While visualizing this deep blue background with brilliant chemical neurotransmitters firing, simultaneously dwell on positive thoughts or affirmations.
Meanwhile, get moving. Even though you don’t feel like it, this is a critical point in which to complete one of the proactive tasks on your action list. No matter how simple this action might seem, complete it, and then move onto the next one. The change we are cultivating in our neural network, accompanied by the physical actions we are taking, can have a dramatic effect on our level of confidence.
—MSH
