Overcoming Fear and Self Doubt - 3 Tidbits of Wisdom

This year, I've dyed my hair purple, lost a whole bunch of weight, and decided that I want to finally spend more time painting again... Some may say I've gone off the deep end and to them I say, "come on in, the water's fine!"

Today's post isn't all about me, though. Today I want to talk about overcoming fears and self-doubt, so I suppose you could say today's post is about you... Now I'm not an expert in psychology, but I'm fairly certain that most people have deprived themselves of an amazing experience simply because they were afraid. Sometimes fear is justified, but those cases aren't the one's I'm referencing... I'm talking about the time that you missed out on something great because you didn't have a friend to go along with you or that time that you sat out on your turn to do something fun because you weren't sure what people would think of you.

I've missed out on chances to do some great things because I let fear stand in my way. While I know I'm right where I'm meant to be, I do wonder what life would be like had I done this or that instead of letting fear hold me back. I missed out on so much because I talked myself out of it, I don't want this to happen to anyone else... I want to share a few words of wisdom for those that are trying to overcome that gnawing feeling of fear and doubt that can sink into the pit of your belly when you start letting anxiety overcome you.

My first bit of wisdom regarding overcoming anxiety is "no one cares". Okay, so you fell down the stairs at a baseball game last week and it was televised. While you may be the talk of the town this week, no one will even care next week.

I'm not saying no one cares about you, I'm simply saying that if you make a mistake or do something embarrassing, don't hold it against yourself... Laugh when you fall, shake it off, and keep strutting your stuff. If you had spaghetti sauce on your shirt and in your hair during a presentation at work and didn't realize it until afterwards, it may feel like the end of the world but I assure you something else more exciting and gossip-worthy will be happening next week.

It may sound silly, but the next time you make a mistake or do something so embarrassing you wish you were invisible, remind yourself that everyone makes mistakes and no one cares about yours. It'll help, I promise.

Another way to overcome that feeling of self-doubt is to remind yourself that you are the only you on this planet. Although some may not approve of your mega-awesomeness or your passion for whatever it is you are passionate about, do what makes you happy.

I've had several people tell me that "blogging isn't a job", I've even been told I needed to find a real job before. If I had let those people get to me, I wouldn't be sitting here sharing these secrets with you... I'd be feeling self-doubt in the middle of an office cubicle or serving up drinks to someone trying to manage their self doubt with alcohol. I'm not saying that an office job isn't awesome, but it wasn't for me... I'm glad I listened to myself and stuck with what I loved, so that may be my best piece of advice - stick with what you love and screw the rest. Anyone's opinion but your own doesn't matter, if you are truly happy - don't ever let anyone dull your sparkle. I know that whole paragraph was littered with cliche phrases, but sometimes cliche phrases make the best mantras to remind ourselves of who we are and why we are here...

Lastly, remember to keep things in perspective. This little tidbit kind of summarizes the other two but it's important. Keeping things in perspective is something that we all need to do through out our lives, in every aspect of our lives.

Take the time to realize that if someone is giving you advice, most likely they aren't trying to "bring you down" but also remember that your opinion is the only one that matters. On the other hand, if you feel like the world noticed that embarrassing thing that happened to you last week, remember that the whole world wasn't in the room with you and the people that were there probably already forgot or don't care. It's all about perspective and learning to live life care free; easier said than done, but practice makes perfect...

Well, this may not be a fool-proof list of ways to prevent self-doubt and fear, but it should be a good start to help you combat those negative feelings. Want to share how you overcome your fears and self doubt? I'd love to hear all about it in the comments below!