Have you got it in you to succeed? What a question. It pokes and prods at you, needling, daring you to say yes whilst all the time wanting you to say no. Or so it seems. The human mind is a complex and vast machine, capable of so much more that we have even begun to understand, but despite all its greatness, it is often found to be left on the default setting of Self Doubt.

Self doubt is often the reason (and excuse) people give as to why they have not succeeded in what they planned for their lives. So many of us are afraid of change, of moving onwards and upwards, and uttering this little phrase offers a way out of admitting that. But admitting fear is a good thing – once it’s out in the open, its power is lessened, and we can get past it by trying whatever it was we were reluctant to try.

So, have you got it in you to succeed? The answer is yes. It’s always yes. But there are certain things that you need to do to throw out the self doubt and really believe that when you say yes, you mean it.

There are three ways to do this. Keep them in mind and you’ll be shouting “Yes!” from the rooftops.

The first and most important thing to do is to work out why the self doubt appears. Why does it grab you and not want to let go? Is it due to a past failure? Are you surrounded by negative people who don’t support you? Have you told yourself there is no chance at success? Or maybe it’s because self doubt is the easiest way to live… being so used to not expecting to succeed can become a habit, but it’s a dangerous one that will erode your confidence and your future. Be aware of it. And be aware of the people around you and the situation you’re living in. If anything is detrimental to you believing in yourself, then that is the thing that must be removed. This can be hard, but it is ultimately the key to success.

The second weapon in your fight against self doubt is to have a back up plan. By all means, think about the ‘what ifs’, the possibility of failure, the potential for defeat, but each time a scenario presents itself in your mind, make sure you work out how to turn it around, make it affirmative, start a new path. Once you have exhausted all the negatives by matching them with positives, the fear of beginning a project will have faded away; you’ll always know how to fix any problems you run into.

The third and final way to stamp out self doubt is to simply begin. Just do it. Whatever it is that’s scaring you, that your psyche and your mind and sometimes even your loved ones are telling you you’ll never succeed in, whatever you’re not sure about – get on with it. Start. And once you have taken that first step, with your new, positive attitude and your contingency plans in place, you’ll already be succeeding.

So, have you got it in you to succeed?