‘You haven’t done enough prep for this.’

‘What happens if you don’t say the right thing?’

‘Are you really qualified to do be doing this work?’

‘They sound like they know more than me.’

‘I don’t think I can do this.’

These are some of the statements of doubt that have at times gripped me through the years.

Sometimes debilitatingly so.

I know I can’t banish the thoughts of doubt altogether. I have learned that I can strengthen the voice of self-trust.

The book, The Courage To Be Disliked is one of the best books I read in 2020. It discusses the work of a leading voice on individual psychology, Alfred Adler. Adler, the book outlines, sees two elements as being key to live life well. One being to trust ourselves. The other, for completeness, being that people are our comrades.

So how do we grow and strengthen the voice of inner-trust? Well, here’s two ideas to start:

Look to the evidence:

In moments when you feel that doubts and self-trust can equally take control of your thinking, take a step back. Ask yourself, when I have dealt with a situation like this before? And in these past similar scenarios, how did I fare? In my experience of working with people 1-1 or through the Next Chapter series, the answer is, more often than not that; you dealt with the situation well.

And when you’ve never before experienced something like a situation that you currently face. A question that can allow helpful reflection is; what of my experience is relevant and beneficial to try and tackle this situation? Again, the answer tends to be; a lot.

By stepping back, you uncover the true grounds for trusting yourself in a situation. And it very often turns out be very solid grounds indeed.

Seek a voice of truth:

Adler tells us to really buy into the belief that people are our comrades. It is a helpful principle to follow in building self-trust. Seek the genuine voice in your network when you need to get a perspective on the level of self-trust you should take into a situation. A voice that you value and respect. And listen to what they have to say. You just might hear very solid evidence as to why you should trust yourself.

Do your weekly trust work:

People hit up the gym 3/4 times a week to work out. People hit the roads 3/4 times a week to run. I encourage you to, as often as possible each week, do your self-trust work. These two ideas above could help shape that work.

I trust you to do the work.

This blog is based on one of the six key motivational themes of the Inspo Next Chapter Series. It’s a motivational series helping the staff of businesses to map out the best post-pandemic chapter in their work and personal lives. Could the Series be of benefit to your business? If so, please do get in touch at john@inspo.ie to learn more about the Series.