I Will No Longer Allow My Doubt to Convince Me I'm Not Good Enough

a post by Aashna Sanghvi for the Tiny Buddha blog



“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.” ~Henry Ford

Self-doubt is a killer. It may start off quietly in the back of your mind when you’re a kid. You may not even notice its presence, but if you let it, it can keep growing bigger and bigger like a balloon that never pops.

“Did I make the right decision?”

“Should I have said that out loud?”

“Should I apply for that job?”

“Am I good enough?”

For most (including myself), it’s that last question that haunts you no matter what you’re trying to do.

Growing up, my self-doubt tiptoed into my mind by silently questioning my dancing. After I satisfied my inner critic by quitting dance practice, it moved on to question my grades, my personality, and everything else about myself.

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To Do What You Really Want to Do, You Need to Befriend your Inner Critic

a post by Kamsin Kaneko for the Tiny Buddha blog


“Our ‘inside critics’ have intimate knowledge of us and can zero in on our weakest spots.” ~SARK

We live in a world that often glorifies the power of positive thinking and affirmations.

Don’t get me wrong, affirmations can be a powerful tool to help us acknowledge our self-worth. We need to learn to look for the positive and to be grateful for all the beautiful things in our lives if we want to be happy. Befriending your inner critic may seem to be in contradiction to these goals.

A couple of years ago I began to pursue the creative life I had always dreamed about. I wanted to be happy and change the circumstances that weren’t bringing me joy. I had always wanted to be a writer, but I struggled with blocks on every level. Every book and blog I read seemed to agree that I needed to practice gratitude. They offered affirmations to help me get unstuck. But it didn’t seem to work.

I struggled to be grateful. I couldn’t bring myself to believe the things I wanted to affirm in my life. My inner critic had long been in control of my thought patterns; trying to ignore the negativity seemed only to make it louder and more insistent.

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Influencing Your Inner Critic

a post by Rose Jane dela Cruz for the World of Psychology blog

Here’s the thing: we all talk to an inner voice – sometimes longer than we talk to other people. This inner voice learns its language from one’s past, especially from the traumatic, hurtful, and distressing parts. As a result, this inner voice usually becomes a person’s own villain, discourager, or critic.

Some may argue that a positive outlook is enough to disarm the inner critic. If you’re a believer of this, I highly advise that you stop reading and just revel in your protons. But if you’re someone like me who has tried and still tries positivity yet continues to battle with this tenacious critic every now and then, I encourage you to read through the end.

Battle of Voices

Your mind has the ability to speak and argue with itself. And if your mind was able to form a critical voice, it is able also to build a voice that empowers and pronounces the good in you.

But know this: these voices are just parts of you. They’re not you.

Yes, it’s overwhelming sometimes. But if you’re overwhelmed then pause, sleep, watch a movie, or listen to a song that calms you down. I hear you. It is not always as simple as that. The point is to not let the inner critic take control.

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Related articles (at the bottom of the post) are useful reminders.

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How to Tune Out Your Inner Critic and Enjoy More of Your Life

a post by Brynn Sauer for the Tiny Buddha blog


“Be careful how you are talking to yourself because you are listening.” ~Lisa M. Hayes

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always had a laser-sharp focus on achieving “success”. From the outside, it looks like I’m pretty close to it, too. But on the inside, I wasn’t allowing myself to acknowledge any of it.

I never gave myself the chance to feel like I was doing something right. I started to think that the only way to ensure I keep growing, improving, and achieving was to stop allowing myself to experience the little victories completely. Satisfaction became a dangerous word.

My self-talk turned into “Okay, that was decent, but you can do better…” or “Alright, that's over, and you need to focus on this now…”

I was giving myself no time to congratulate myself or realize my competence, and this mindset was draining.

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