It’s Time To Stop Entertaining The Doubts In Your Head

I know you feel like everyone else is ahead of you, that maybe you’re not good enough. I know you feel like you’re not where you want to be.

But the voices in your head are lies. It’s time to stop entertaining them. 

It’s time to stop giving your doubts a home. It’s time to stop feeding them on your best dishes. It’s time to stop letting them sink into your couch and wrap themselves in your plush blanket. It’s time to stop fluffing the pillows and tip-toeing around them. It’s time you made things really uncomfortable. 

It’s time to stop believing you’re less than you are. It’s time to stop doubting yourself and looking back at everything you could have done. It’s time to grieve the past and look forward to the life ahead. It’s time to pay attention to what’s happening right in front of you. 

Every place you want to go is an accumulation of now. Everything you want to achieve is an accumulation of the present. You feel like you haven’t gotten anywhere because you’re in a rush to go, but you don’t know where you’re going. You need to be still. You need to take a moment to understand that often life happens on a need-to-know basis. Sometimes you have to trust the process. Sometimes it isn’t about the results but the skill, determination, and lesson you learn along the way.

I want you to know that the voices in your head aren’t yours. They’re your brain trying to keep you safe. You’ve told your brain that there’s something that you fear. What is it? Have you taken the time to sit down with yourself and hold yourself with compassion as you uncover the layers of your being? 

Stop running. Stop being fully booked for one moment. Stop grinding for two seconds. Stop running for one minute so you can listen to the voice of your soul. The voice of your soul is quiet. It will not compete with you. It will whisper in the silence until you’re ready. 

It’s time to stop entertaining the doubts in your head and start listening to the promises for your life. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. It’s time to stop letting other people project their limitations on you. There’s no extreme measure when it comes to protecting your mind. Block those who pull you down, distance yourself from them, unfollow them. Refuse to let them speak doubt into your life. 

You tell your mind what to believe, not the other way around. I know you feel powerless, but that’s also a lie. Your thoughts can change. You get rid of the doubts when you decide to stop accepting them.

“Thoughts are real, physical things that occupy mental real estate. Moment by moment, every day, you are changing the structure of your brain through your thinking. When we hope, it is an activity of the mind that changes the structure of our brain in a positive and normal direction.”― Caroline Leaf.

When your brain says, “I’m a failure,” you say, “No, I am not. I’m learning and getting better every day.” Put this quote on your phone screen, put it on your mirror. Don’t just read it. Say it. Don’t just say it. Say it with power. Say it like you mean it! Say it as many times as the doubt comes. Say it until the doubt isn’t a voice in your head at all. For the next 14 days, without judgement, practice saying nothing negative at all.

Dr. Neil Nedley, founder and medical director of the Nedley Depression and Anxiety Recovery Program says, it’s more beneficial to avoid negative thinking than trying to only think positive.

Do not give up on yourself. Fight for your life as many times as it takes. As many times as you fall, get back up. Promise yourself. It’s not about what you’ve accomplished but your will to keep going. 

Stop looking at other people. Stop measuring the significance of your life based on someone else’s standards. Stop depending on people who don’t have to live with the consequences of your choices. Stop looking at people who haven’t walked your path. Stop giving your admiration to everyone else. Start living in your purpose. Don’t worry if you haven’t found it yet. It will find you. Follow the quiet voice that aligns with your principles. And if you don’t know what your principles are, look at the moments you care about and what moves you.

You’re doing better than you know. I know you don’t have all the answers. You’re not supposed to. Right now, list all of your wins. I know you’re tempted to say you don’t have any, but that’s a lie. Look closer. Look closer yet. You’re hard on yourself for no reason. And if you think you have a reason, punishing yourself will not make it better. 

It’s time to let go. Letting go is not another fight. If you’re fighting, you’re doing too much. Letting go takes time. Letting go takes reflection. It’s about asking yourself the hard questions. “Why does this matter to me? Why does this hurt?” Letting go is accepting what already is. Letting go is not defeat. Letting go isn’t a failure. Letting go is making room for more. You cannot receive what you do not have space for.

It’s time to stop entertaining the doubts in your head. They’re lies. They do not define you. They do not have control of your mind. You do. It’s time to stop making a home for your doubts. It’s time to start living. You don’t need to know all the answers. Move forward in faith and the direction of your life will find you.