October 02, 2025

Six Ways to Smother Self-Doubt

We want to see ourselves as skilled, resilient, confident professionals. Yet, a tough class, a less-than-successful initiative, or a difficult professional relationship can leave us doubting ourselves. The distraction it can cause for us is less important than how we perceive it. The danger is in the self-doubt we feel.

Self-doubt can also be sneaky. It can creep up on us when we are not expecting it. And it can stay with us longer than we would like. Over time, self-doubt can contribute to our stress, undermine our confidence, leave us feeling reluctant to take risks, and can even damage our health.

Fortunately, there are several steps and strategies we can employ to counter feelings of self-doubt and build our confidence. Consider these six attitude and action adjustments that can replace self-doubt with self-confidence.

Strive to be your best, not perfect. Perfectionism can be a trap. Trying to create flawless lesson plans, build constant student engagement, and form perfect relationships is a recipe for disappointment and doubt. We cannot control all the factors that make a perfect learning experience. On the other hand, deciding to do our best each day and remaining flexible when not everything goes as planned can help us to let go of perfection while continuing to improve and allow us to celebrate even small successes. In the words of John Steinbeck in East of Eden: “And now that you don’t have be perfect, you can be good.”

Resist comparisons to others. We may perceive some colleagues as “having it all together.” They project an attitude of confidence and control. Yet, it is likely that there are areas in which they face challenges too. Be assured that they also experience difficult days, even if we are not aware of them. Instead of making comparisons to them, we can commit to collaborate with them. While we may gain some insights and strategies from them, there are likely ideas and approaches we can share that will help them improve, too.

Reframe negative thoughts and self-talk. What we say to ourselves can have a powerful impact. The more we tell ourselves negative things, the more we are likely to believe them. Yet, we are in control of what we say and think. Shifting negative thoughts into positive affirmations and giving ourselves the support we would want from a valued friend can shift the way we think and feel. We might tell ourselves: “I can do this,” “I have faced and overcome tough things in the past,” and “I have what it takes to succeed.”

Treat mistakes and missteps as opportunities. Dwelling on mistakes and missteps can haunt our thinking and undermine our confidence. We want students to see that mistakes play an important role in learning. The same should be true for us. We are not—nor should we expect to be—perfect. Mistakes and missteps are part of life. Mistakes may point to something we need to learn, and a misstep may be a reminder to pay closer attention. When we commit to learn and improve, we gain value from the experience, not just left with regret.

Set goals and celebrate milestones. Goals can be powerful tools for making progress and building confidence. Setting meaningful, realistic, achievable goals can help us to focus our energy and attention. Achieving even small goals can give us a sense of accomplishment. Over time, the goals we set and achieve can build our confidence and remove doubts about our ability to face and overcome difficult challenges and navigate rough spots in our professional journey.

Keep a success and gratitude journal. We can quickly forget our successes while we dwell in what went wrong. We can become preoccupied with what we don’t have while ignoring what we do. Keeping a daily journal of what we have achieved and what we are grateful for can be a great way to keep our focus on what is going right and is good. When we have a bad day or experience a setback, reading our journal can be a great way to restore our confidence and re-balance our perspective.

Self-doubt can be uncomfortable, but it doesn't have to hold us back. Pushing forward even when we have some worries and trepidation can help us focus our attention and energy. Prevailing in the face of self-doubt can help us to build the confidence and courage we may need when we face the next challenge.