Replacing Self Doubt

"Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt."
-William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure

I'm a film nerd, always have been, and The Jurassic Park series is one of my all-time favourite stories, the films and the books. I'm also an actor so the conversations in my mind when watching movies can be super active - I'm working on cultivating mindfulness here - and I sometimes find myself asking a lot of "what ifs?"...for example, "What if John Hammond was riddled with anxiety of the worst case scenarios and never recreated the dinosaurs?"...the park would have never existed and a lot of lives would have been spared, all things considered. 

However this is not what happened right? We all know the story, Hammond is an idealistic dreamer and just as arrogant. His main interests included making profits and "spared no expense" in order to do so. *SPOILER ALERT* Although, in the novel, Hammond meets his end with a pack of Procompsognathus he created something truly amazing to share with the world, albeit scary AF. Instead of doubting the work, John Hammond believed with all of his being that Jurassic Park would have a positive impact on the world. He had a vision and could see it clearly every single day, ultimately bringing it to fruition. *

Self doubt is pretty much self-protection dressed as worry and sounds like anxiety. Putting yourself out there is not easy; they don't call it 'leap of faith' for nothing. In order to find success you must believe in yourself to a certain point. If your self talk is full of doubt, this is what you will likely manifest.

Making real behavioural changes are not always easy, and I am not a trained counsellor but I do see one - she has been incredible with helping me unpack my struggles and baggage and I highly recommend finding someone you vibe with to talk mental health because we are all learning to heal, manage and maintain. If I have learned anything that I want to share it's this: Rather than attempting to stop an unproductive behaviour, work towards replacing it with something that is more productive (self-loving).

EG: When you are doubting yourself try replacing it with self-belief. Think about all of the ways it could go right, instead of how it could go wrong. 

EG: When you have the urge to eat something sweet or salty like chips or candy, recognize what your body is craving and find a healthier version like fruit or salted peanuts. 

Applying this is self care and will support your visualizations and help you to manifest your best self. 

'Imagine the person you want to be and then start being that person immediately.'

With love and light,

xo
JV