Overcoming Self-doubt and Dusting Off Your Big Dreams
People mistakenly see me as a innately positive person unaffected by the sting of failure and unfazed by the paralysis of self doubt.
They’re wrong.
I have two degrees from the top public university in the country, achieved at the highest level of a Division I college sport, been the youngest Division I head wrestling coach in the country, backpacked alone across Central America, started multiple businesses, given a TEDx Talk, traveled to 16 countries and raised millions of dollars for various non-profits.
Self-doubt?
Yep.
I’ve been riddled with self-doubt my entire life. My fear of failure drove me to work hard because I thought everyone else was smarter and more skilled than me. The resulting combination of grades and wrestling success landed me at the top public university in the country.
When I was a freshman in college I didn’t feel like I belonged on a Division I team alongside some of the most highly recruited wrestlers in the country. So I tried to outwork everyone, everyday. By the time I graduated I had won three ACC championships and become only the sixth All-American in program history.
Self-doubt and fear drove my work ethic.
Why do I continue to strive for the next level today? Simple. Because of my fear of not maximizing every fiber in my mind and body. Because I saw how self-doubt held me back and I now realize that there’s more in me that I’ve not yet unleashed.
And a fear of letting my mindset slip into one of mediocrity when I know that I can achieve more.
Your own doubts that you can reach your biggest dreams are misguided. Your fear is keeping you from your maximum success.
Courage isn’t overcoming fear but rather performing despite your fear.
I launched this online platform that you’re reading right now not because I think I have any special ability but because I think I’m ordinary. I can share with you the unique mindset that allows ordinary people to do things they might not otherwise have the confidence to do.
The most successful people on the planet, whether athletes, entrepreneurs, politicians, musicians, community advocates or youth coaches, have fear and doubt and anxiety and weaknesses.
The successful ones also have clarity on their goals and understand the “why” of why they want to achieve their goals. And they have strategies for dealing with the negative voices in their head. They may simply speak positive words while the negative voice in their head tries to takeover.
And they have a work ethic that is simply unmatched by anybody of average accomplishment.
So don’t let failure and the resulting self-doubt hold you back. Crush self-doubt with an overwhelming voice of positivity. Dust off your big dreams and get to work.
