“When the going gets tough, the tough get going” - Joseph P Kennedy
Life can ideally be described as a rollercoaster ride with ups and downs. This balance is essential as the downs teach humility and bring out the fighting spirit in us to defeat adversity. The ups help us appreciate the efforts we took and the obstacles we had to overcome to emerge from the tough situation.
If we examine the situation with lows, one thing is certain - our morale takes a beating and we end up feeling defeated. In some cases, our self-esteem also takes a hit, while filling us with a sense of worry and self-doubt, which do not go away that easily. However, all is not lost as long as you are ready to wipe your tears and fight back again. Here are some strategies that you can employ to overcome self-doubts and achieve your goals:
1. Adopt a growth mindset
This is a tough but crucial step at this juncture. Start visualising that you are getting better and progressing towards your goal. A growth mindset is one where you look at failures as chances for progress and not as risks. Failure gives a good opportunity to introspect and look at what has gone wrong. Remember that your skills and capabilities are adaptable and can be honed over time, hence it is easy to rectify the mistake and set things right. It will push you out of your comfort zone, which will teach you more than you can imagine. View failure as a stepping stone to improvement and not as a sign of your inability. With these takeaways, go ahead and reach your goal.
2. Track and celebrate your progress
Document all your achievements, irrespective of whether they are big or small. When you feel like you have reached a dead end, look at your accomplishments and be proud of your journey to the present. This exercise will aid in giving a better perspective of life and how your failure does not really matter in the larger scheme of things. This will motivate you to look beyond the setbacks, get up and march towards fulfilling your goal.
3. Look for motivation and advice
Remember that it is acceptable to reach out to close ones and ask them to help and encourage you. You can reach out to family members including but not limited to parents and siblings and your closest friends. As humans, we are not meant to suffer in silence, the best course of action is to talk with the ones you trust. If this venting process does not work, go ahead and get professional help. This will give you the much-needed clarity to evaluate the situation precisely and make a pivot, if needed, on the way to your goal.
4. Accept change
Change cannot be avoided and is said to be the only unchanging element in life. The sooner you accept this truth, the easier it gets for you to bounce back from the challenges. Accept that it has happened for a reason, analyze what you can learn from the situation and move forward. For instance, if you were unexpectedly laid off from work despite performing exceptionally and having clear long-term goals, it may seem like a tough pill to swallow. But, once you move on and get into a better job, it will make sense that everything happened for the good and worked out well, eventually.
5. Know that it is never too late
There is a common misconception that only young people should meticulously set goals. This is because we tend to associate them with professional objectives. Still, you can have personal goals too and they are more relevant for older adults. It could be something as simple as walking 10000 steps in order to improve fitness or going back to college to get a degree they have always wanted to do. Due to old age, these may seem like uphill tasks. They can be achieved with the right mindset, overcoming imposter syndrome and focussing on the smaller goals as these will help reach the larger one.
6. Surround yourself with positive energy
This is the most neglected element when it comes to resolving your self-doubt issues. Your company plays a crucial role in shaping your confidence. The right people will have a good influence on you and will facilitate approaching everything logically. But, the wrong set of people can erode your confidence by constantly pulling you down and gradually making you feel worthless. This can lead to a dip in self-confidence and amplified self-doubt. Hence, find like-minded people to spend time with. This will not hinder your path towards your aspiration in any form.
These tips can aid in bringing about a change in your mindset and helping you reach your target. Remember that it will take time for it to happen and do not expect wonders in one day. Split your goals into simpler blocks and focus on completing them while keeping in mind the bigger objective. Imposter syndrome, wherein you doubt your own skills and success, is very common when you are a high-achieving person, therefore do not succumb to it. Approach problems with a flexible mind and be open to embracing failures, as the insights gained from missteps can make you a well-rounded and knowledgeable individual. Do not hesitate to change course, if the situation demands, as there are multiple paths to reach the goal. More often than not, it is the road you never expected. Are you prepared to strike the target?
Dr Anjum Mahdu
Nice update
Carry on