When you doubt yourself, you are basically saying that you cannot do what you want to do. For every moment we doubt ourselves, we are limiting our abilities and we are stopping ourselves. We limit ourselves, and therefore we lack self-confidence. It is a two-way street. If we doubt ourselves, we have no self-confidence. One creates the other. When we stop ourselves from what we want to do because we have no faith in ourselves, our lack of confidence grows. Usually doubt begins to form not because of what we think of ourselves, but because of how we perceive others to see us. It festers until it grows into a stable perception of who we are. We do not begin this way. In fact, most children have a very strong and stable perception of their abilities and selves. It is others who by action or voice encourage our self-doubt. It is not to say that others perceptions are true, for they are not. Often a doubt prescribed to you is a self-reflection of that other person, a doubt they themselves carry. When others chose to put someone down, they are vocalizing something they see in themselves. It is a continuous effect that has no end.

So when you realize you are doubting yourself, how do you talk yourself out of it? What do you do to eliminate this feeling you have and the role it plays in your life? You can begin by realizing that you, as a person, really do not have this perception of yourself. Again, it is a belief you picked up from someone else. You do not truly doubt yourself; you just learned this behavior from others. So once we can see it this way, it becomes easier to let that feeling go and to see ourselves in a new light. Self-doubt and a lack of confidence are one and the same. The sooner we realize we can be and do anything, the sooner we are free of doubt and full of confidence. See it this way, we can choose to believe what others have given us or we can choose to see ourselves for who we really are. Each one of us is born into this world fully capable for life; we are not missing anything, least of all the ability to live it fully. By releasing this perception of what you think you are, you eliminate any further doubt. By doing so, you gain confidence.

It is a process of self-realization. Where does your doubt come from? When did you first start doubting yourself; can you tie it to a moment, to someone, to something that was said or done to you or in your presence? It is all tied to together, our past and our present. What we felt and how we feel now. But it doesn’t have to be this way. We can eliminate what isn't real. We can take away this false idea of who we are. When we start believing we are capable, we become so. When we start seeing ourselves as strong, enabled, and fit for anything, this is what we feel. We are trading what we once saw in ourselves for something new, something that is far truer than anything else. Stop believing in what you thought you were and see the real you. All doubt is spurred on by our behavior and our outlook on who we think we are. Therefore, any changes we make in how we see ourselves has the ability to change everything.

We can start believing in ourselves and forget what we think others saw. Let go of doubt by releasing any feelings you have towards yourself that have held you down. You already know that you can do and be anything, you have just talked yourself out of it based on another person's idea. It is that simple. Somewhere in your past there is a tie to doubt and the moment that created it. Somewhere you started seeing yourself this way, and then held onto it. But it is time to see yourself for who you really are, not as a person who is afraid, fearful, holding back, or lacking in anything. Instead, you are a person who is fully capable, as you have always been. There is nothing to fear except continuing to live your life in the way you have been, which isn't the real you. Your past is gone; this person who you thought you were is no longer. Instead, you are capable and ready for everything life has to give you.

Author's Bio: 

Find your true self and learn how to truly be in the moment at Answers in Writing.

Adam Benedetto and Zoe Young are both dedicated to enabling others to reach their full potential in life, to help others release what is holding them back, and to find their true selves. Through years of experience and development, both have sought out the answers we all need to find peace, understand ourselves, and reach enlightenment.