Free Yourself from The Shackles of Self Doubt

Self-doubt. We’ve all experienced it, that feeling that starts off as a small seed in your mind and before you know it, it starts eating away at you and you begin to question yourself. I’m certainly no stranger to this, in the past I’ve held myself back from pursuing the very career that I’m progressing in now, because of self-doubt. I knew I had the ambition and determination to chase my dream career, but I knew that I would only get so far If I couldn’t get past the feelings of self-doubt. Here are three realisations/tips that helped me, and hopefully help you from letting self-doubt hold you back.

1. Stop comparing yourself! It’s easier said than done. Comparing ourselves to others is a natural tendency that’s hardwired into each of us. We use examples of others as means of inspiration to strive to meet our own goals and that’s okay. It’s when we start putting more emphasis on other people’s achievements, traits and qualities that self-doubt creeps in and we begin to fixate on our weaknesses and shortcomings. Always remember, everyone is on their own paths, some are ahead of others and that’s fine. Define your own success and forge your own path to smash each milestone to success. It won’t always be plain sailing, which leads me to the next point.

2. The more times you fall, the closer you are to the end goal. I spent four years in retail before getting my foot in the door with a placement at The Juice Academy. During those four years, I enrolled on various courses and training programmes to pursue a career in the creative industry, but I succumbed to self-doubt; feeling that I wasn’t qualified enough after a combination of a few failed interviews and comparing myself to other better qualified applicants. What did I learn from this experience? Never underestimate yourself! No matter how many times you fall, pick yourself up and keep the ambition burning, because with every fall, the closer you are to your end goal. And this is where owning your self-progression comes in.

3. Know yourself and own your self-progression! Know your strengths, identify your weak areas and work on them. You may have your sights set on a career path or a particular job; find out what you need to do to put yourself in the best position and set a plan in motion, whether it be to learn a new skill or even develop a personal quality. Push yourself to be closer to your goal and never stop learning!

Finally, always remember to enjoy the journey and the process of reaching your goals. All of us will face feelings of self-doubts from time to time and that’s perfectly normal, don’t be too hard on yourselves. It all comes down to understanding ourselves and what factors we can control to overcome those feelings to reach our full potential and all the fellow Juice apprentices I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and networking with are a testament to that.

Marco Tadete, Cohort 28, Digital Content Executive at Venture Motion