Trust Your Instincts: How to Stop Second-Guessing Yourself in Your Career
Do you often find yourself second-guessing your career decisions? Do you struggle with self-doubt, worried you’re going to make the “wrong” move?
Overanalyzing can be incredibly exhausting, but unfortunately it’s common. Especially for high achievers, who are so used to making “right” choices throughout their life that they hold themselves to a ridiculously high standard.
It's time to put an end to the cycle of uncertainty and start trusting your instincts. Let’s explore some strategies on how to stop second-guessing yourself in your career and gain the confidence you need to make bold and informed choices. Because decisions are everywhere, and self-doubt can hinder our progress, hold us back from taking risks, and rob us of our confidence.
So, how can we break free from the cycle of second-guessing and start trusting our instincts?
Figure out what your instinct is even saying.
I like to think of your “inner voice” of clarity kind of like that friend who you invite out to dinner, but she’s always busy. At some point, you’ll stop extending the invite! Your gut is the same way. If you continually ignore it, eventually the “little voice” gets softer and softer, ‘til you can barely hear it. That’s why our job is to help you turn the volume way up so you can begin to lean in here, and that starts with getting to know yourself, separating out what you want from all of the other “noise”.Remember your past successes.
When we’re second guessing ourselves sometimes we can focus on everything that has gone wrong. Take a moment to reflect on your past successes and achievements in your career. Remind yourself of the times when you made decisions that turned out well and led to positive outcomes. This reflection can help you build confidence in your ability to make sound decisions and trust your judgment.Consider the failures too.
This might sound weird, but I also want you to think about the failures. Not only can you learn from each of those struggles, but also you’ve handled them, right? Remembering this can reinforce the fact that you’ll rise to the occasion when needed. Because while you can’t ensure nothing goes wrong, you can ensure that you’ll handle it when necessary.Seek advice, but trust your gut
Advice is wonderful, and it can be incredibly helpful when making decisions. That said, remember to prioritize yourself and your opinion over the opinions of others. Afterall, the decision will most impact you, not them! You know yourself and your situation better than anyone else.Focus on making aligned decisions.
There’s a difference between making the “right decision”, and the “right decision for you”. The true path to career satisfaction is career alignment, and it’s based on getting to know yourself and your true north star for your career. Based on that you can ensure you’re making the right decision with your specific set of needs and preferences in mind. Understanding your priorities can help you make decisions that align with your overall vision, rather than getting bogged down by short-term doubts and uncertainties.Research, research, research. But then act.
Once you’ve clarified your personal needs for a “good” decision, back into them! Begin researching your options and see which one better aligns to what’s actually important to you. The important caveat here, though, is that once you’ve researched how things stack up against your criteria, at some point you’ll need to act. Otherwise you’ll just get caught in collector mode. Instead of being paralyzed by the fear of making the wrong decision, focus on taking calculated risks. Do your research, gather information, weigh the pros and cons, and make informed choices based on your priorities and values.Embrace the grey and set realistic expectations.
Self-compassion is essential, and it’s important you realize that it's normal to have doubts and uncertainties in your career. Perfectionists especially struggle with black and white thinking! That said, it’s crucial to set realistic expectations here, and remember that all you can reasonably do in any situation is to make the best choice possible based on everything you know. So do your research, get informed, and eventually act. Waiting for perfection is a losing battle.
Remember, you are capable, competent, and deserving of success in your career. Trust your instincts, embrace your unique strengths, and make decisions that align with your values and priorities. It's time to stop second-guessing yourself and start confidently navigating your career path with self-assurance.
I hope you find these strategies helpful in overcoming self-doubt and gaining the confidence to make informed career decisions. Remember, you’ve got this!
And if you’re looking to define what those values even are, we have something coming out in a few short days that will walk you through just that. So click here to get on the waitlist so you can get an early invite.
To making confident choices,
