02 Jul How to use self-doubt to bloom!
We all have doubts; about others and about ourselves.
And this need not be a bad thing.
Even those who’re happy and successful are not perfect; and they know they’re not. In fact happiness and success can come more to those who doubt themselves … in the right way!
Yes, there is a right way to doubt yourself; and here it is…
via TED Ideas by Rich Karlgaard
The key to harnessing self-doubt starts with self-efficacy, or our confidence in our ability to set ourselves up for success. And we can improve self-efficacy through something that we all already do: talk to ourselves, says writer Rich Karlgaard.
We live in a society where people are obsessed with early achievement, but most of us don’t explode out of the gates right away. That was true for Rich Karlgaard. After a mediocre college career, he worked as a dishwasher, nightwatchman, and temp before finally finding inner motivation and drive. These qualities led him to start a tech magazine in Silicon Valley, and he eventually became the publisher of Forbes. He has conducted years of research and interviews to find out why some of us bloom later in life — and how we can all achieve our full potential. Below, he writes about the unlikely power to be found in self-doubt.
Most of us allow far too much self-doubt into our lives. But for late bloomers, self-doubt can seem a heavier load. We often start out in a hole by undervaluing our abilities and contributions, which inflicts many different kinds of pain, from panic to paralysis to embarrassment. But the long-term damage is even worse. Left to fester, self-doubt can prevent us from realizing our full potential. That’s the bad news.
The good news is that self-doubt, odd as it may sound, is actually a secret weapon for blooming. When properly managed, it can help combat complacency and improve our preparation and performance. It drives us to question results, experiment with new strategies, and be open to alternate ways to solve problems — tactics that correlate with late bloomer strengths such as curiosity and resilience. But self-doubt isn’t only a performance enhancer; it’s also a recipe for being a wiser leader, teacher, parent and friend, because coming to terms with it makes us more compassionate and gives us greater insight into ourselves and others. The problem is that many people deal with self-doubt by sabotaging our chances of success…
…keep reading the full & original article HERE