In these last few months I’ve gone through quite a bit of self-doubt. I feel that I became stronger as an individual because of that time.
During this time of self-doubt I was literally this close to closing my Etsy shop. I stopped knitting and crocheting. I also took 1 month off from Etsy. I didn’t browse. I didn’t shop. I didn’t look at patterns. During this month I did a lot of soul-searching and towards the end of this month I was beginning to miss my craft and my business. That’s how I knew this is where I want to be and that this is apart of me.
After going through this I rediscovered a few ways to reduce and cope with self-doubt and I would like to share them with you.
- Self-Reflection
The 1st way to reduce self-doubt is for you to do some self-reflection. By self-reflection, I mean stopping in a place you find personal. You should be alone in this place. When you are in this place you need to begin to take stock. Take stock of your life, relationships, business, family, and yourself. After this you need to ask yourself “Why?” Why are you here? Why are your <relationships, business, family, self> important? After you reflect I am sure life will start to be a bit clearer and you will soon be back on track.
- Get Honest Feedback
The 2nd way to reduce self-doubt is to receive honest feedback from two different people. The first person should be a close friend or a family member. This person knows you. They know your struggles, situation, needs, wants and desires. They hopefully want what’s best for you so it only makes sense to ask. Ask them what they like about you. What is possible for you to improve? Ask if they think this life situation is for you. Now their answers may not be what you want to hear but hopefully they are positive.
The second person should be someone you hardly know. I suggest a person you hardly know for the business side of you life. Ask this person about your business, ideas, concepts, photos, and anything else that may be related to your business life. I would also ask about productivity tips, time management tips, and what not. I suggest a person you hardly know because they have no reason to lie to you. They don’t have much vested so hopefully they are unbiased and willing.
After you talk to these two (or more) people gather what they’ve said and review what works. Let go the stuff that doesn’t work for you. No harm, no foul. I think this will help guide you in the right direction.
- Just don’t do it
The 3rd and final way to reduce self-doubt is :drum roll please: to not doubt yourself! Ha! I know, easier said than done. If it were that easy I wouldn’t be writing this and you wouldn’t be reading this 🙂 In all seriousness, after you self-reflect and get some much-needed feedback, it’s really up to you.
Be Positive and do what brings you joy. Do what makes YOU happy.
Looking out to the water is highly meditative and calming.
Once you start from there you can go anywhere your heart and mind takes you. I hope this helps to get you out of that funk and get you going again!
If you have any ways of reducing self-doubt and/or you want to tell of a time you doubted yourself let me know in the comments! It’s always great to see things from different walks of life 😀
~Simply Brittany Marie
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