DELETE YOUR DOUBTS!

I think doubting one’s caliber could be the greatest blunder on earth.

DELETE YOUR DOUBTS!

How many times, we ourselves pose a question mark over our own abilities and shy away from our crown of success. I have seen so many people who just don’t believe their potential and crib over the ‘limited version of their lives’. If you don't believe in yourself, how do you expect anyone else to believe in you? The present blog post is about deleting your doubts (read self doubts) and realizing your true potential.

“If we start believing that we can’t lose, it will surely happen.” 

~ Andres Iniesta

For a few days, I have been trying really hard to select the theme for my next blog post. And then, I chanced upon a news item regarding a Norwegian trio travelling to 19 countries in 24 hours and setting new world record. According to the news, this Norwegian trio has set a new world record for the most countries travelled in a day. The new record was set by Gunnar Garfors, 39, Tay-young  Pak, 42, and Oyvind Djupvik, 38, after they made it to 19 countries in just 24 hours, surpassing the previous record of 17 countries. And then suddenly, a thought crossed my mind and I felt a kind of revelation to have my most sought after next-blog-theme. If this team of new world record holders had doubts in their potential to break the previous record, it would have been next to impossible for them to even imagine their unbelievable feat. Yes, the present blog post is about deleting your doubts (read self doubts) and realizing your true potential. How many times, we ourselves pose a question mark over our own abilities and shy away from our crown of success. I have seen so many people who just don’t believe their potential and crib over the ‘limited version of their lives’. I think doubting one’s caliber could be the greatest blunder on earth. If you don't believe in yourself, how do you expect anyone else to believe in you?

Such stories which depict one’s journey from self-doubt to success are in plenty. And whenever I sit back and contemplate over my experiences with others, I also feel myself surrounded with such discoveries made by simple people around me. I still remember one of my students who make me feel proud even today. And her case-in-point is really a piece of inspiration to all (and quite heart-warming to me as well). As far back as I can remember, initially, she was a girl of low self esteem (due to her personal challenges) and with a self doubting tendency (again due to her professional dilemmas). But in spite of all the adversities, the best part was that she was very hard working and ambitious (that she occasionally discussed her career goals with me) and she never gave up. She attended a few PDP sessions and some extra classes during my short stint as a professional trainer. And to my surprise, I sensed a great transformation in her overall personality (largely because of her passion and dedication to uplift herself). Exactly after one year, I received a message from an unknown number. As per the content over my mobile screen, one of my students was selected by a reputed firm for a decent profile. And this really brought a big smile on my face. And I was more delighted to know the name of the proud sender. Yes, she was the same student (who at one point of time was a big time victim of her own self made self doubt). 

Let's get back to the business. I get completely floored by the people who never give up in the face of their piles of doubts and don’t take long to get back on track. Having doubts is normal and what matters most is how you respond to it. If your doubts start dominating you and your actions, your destination seems nowhere near. We get so deluded by our ‘self made’ doubts that we keep falling into the same pit of fear and that’s sufficient to go into steep decline. And over a period of time, it becomes almost impossible to keep a handle on our anxieties. Truth be told, the real world is a harder place with fewer buffers. And to start your journey with doubts in your mind is a great recipe for a greater mess. Is it not possible to have an extra ounce of confidence that could outweigh your load of doubts? Is it not in your powers to realize an additional sense of belief that could surpass your feeling of distrust? Well, it’s quite possible. And this confidence and self belief push you towards great discoveries about yourself.

Cousins was not willing to
surrender so easily.

Recently, I read one of the most remarkable stories of confidence and self belief and that gave me enough food for thought. This real life story can tear down all your self-doubts (be it your personal or professional ones). What if your doctors tell you with all evidences that you have no more time to live? I think most of us would be panicked at the very thought of not being able to survive. And when you have enough facts to prove that you really have a few days left and soon you have to depart. And that’s the moment to say goodbye to all your near and dear ones. Well, I don’t want to sound melodramatic, but the truth is that it really demands a mountain size faith to go against the medically approved declarations. Well, this is what exactly happened in case of Norman Cousins (author of fifteen best selling books) who was told by medical experts that he had a very short time to live due to serious health problems). Cousins was not willing to surrender so easily. He researched all possible methods for staying alive. And adopted a combination of Vitamin C, positive thinking, joy, humor, faith...and hope. Twenty years later he was still alive. In his own words, “I was absolutely confident that I was going to make it. I knew that confidence was essential.”

Sweeping your doubts under the rug or instantly waving the white flag is not cool. You can initiate something new and you can feel clouds of doubt in your head. Sometimes it feels like there is nowhere to hide from self doubt. Though you may have a long laundry list of your own justifications for your doubts; remember, it’s a battle of you against yourself. With all the guts and the grit, remind yourself that ‘You Are Going to Make It’. Keep your chin up, muster enough courage and don’t lose your confidence. You know every bit of confidence matters and it snowballs with time. The fact of the matter is that results are never guaranteed but efforts are always in one’s control. But you have to ensure that you do not fall as an easy pray to your doubts ever again. Mind you, you are better off without your doubts and you can certainly do well without them. To put it bluntly, sometimes you may fall or you may completely fail, but do not loose your grip over your confidence and never let your self belief go, no matter what. And if you do that, I can vouch you will be able to find sunshine even in the hurricane. You better doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith in yourself.

“Doubt is normal for everyone, but successful people recognize doubt as just fuel to prove their own self wrong. Doubt is what holds people back and makes them regret when someone else does something very similar to what they dreamed about. You just have to let go of doubt and challenge yourself to be as great as you know you can be.”

~ Anonymous

If you like this blog post and wish to share your experiences/ remarks/ views on 'self doubts' with me, you are most welcome. Write to me at pdpbygauravmisra@gmail.com. Like on facebook.com/PDP by Gaurav Misra. Follow on Twitter@pdpbygm.