Self-doubt is a primary enemy stopping us from achieving our dreams, and negativity feeds that doubt.
Negativity exists in the mind, but Norman Vincent Peale, the author of The Power of Positive Thinking, gives us a powerful clue for how we can move from negativity to positivity and slay the self-doubt stopping us in our tracks:
“Change your thoughts and you change your world.”
Our mind is more powerful than any computer ever created!
Think about some of the greatest breakthroughs in technology. The iPhone—a mobile telephone with the capacity of a computer—was first released in 2007.
Ten years later, Apple released a new version of the iWatch, replacing the need to carry your iPhone. Everything can be accessed from your wristwatch!
This example shows the mind’s ability to move a thought from infancy to a fully developed product that changes the world.
Imagine if Steve Jobs had let negativity, or any doubt that these products would work or be successful, stop him. We would not be enjoying the convenience of the iPhone and iWatch today.
Understanding the power contained in the mind is more than simply practicing POSITIVE THINKING. It is understanding that our mind sends signals for action based on whether our thought life is negative or positive.
Positive thinking creates positive outcomes in your life. Negative thinking creates negative outcomes. This manifests as the self-doubt that kills our dreams.
But it does not have to. Here is one man’s story of the power of the mind that changed his life and the lives of others.
In the movie Hacksaw Ridge, Private Desmond Doss determined in his mind that he would not take a life.
Even though he experienced great negativity from others that was intended to pressure him into doubting his decision, his focus was on saving the lives of others.
Here is an excerpt of his story:
Private Doss fought in Okinawa, which was the second most bloody battle of World War II. The battlefield, located on top of a sheer 400-foot cliff, was fortified with a deadly network of Japanese machine gun nests and booby traps.
The mission was thought to be near-impossible, and when Doss’ battalion was ordered to retreat, the medic refused to leave his fallen comrades behind.
Facing heavy machine gun and artillery fire, Doss repeatedly ran alone into the kill zone, carrying wounded soldiers to the edge of the cliff and singlehandedly lowering them down to safety. Each time he saved a man’s life, Doss prayed out loud, “Lord, please help me get one more.”
By the end of the night, he had rescued an estimated 75 men. (The always modest Doss reckoned he saved about 50, but his fellow soldiers gauged it closer to 100. They decided to split the difference.) [Read more of the story here.]
Doss was awarded the Medal of Honor for his role in saving the lives of his fellow soldiers.
Doss set his mind and resisted self-doubt, which determined his actions.
The way we think and the words we speak can release good things or bad things, and science is backing that up.
Dr. Caroline Leaf’s book, Switch on Your Brain: The Key to Peak Happiness, Thinking, and Health, explores how your thought life impacts your body:
“Scientists are proving that the relationship between what you think and how you understand yourself—your beliefs, dreams, hopes, and thoughts—have a huge impact on how your brain works.”
She cites research, including a Harvard Medical Study, that is discovering that 75-98% of mental, physical, and behavioral illness comes from one’s thought life. Only 2-25% of our illnesses comes from environmental factors and genetics.
Stunning!
Our thought life can affect the health of our body, our organs, and our emotions, which means that we live a healthier life by changing the way we think.
We can change the way we think and overcome self-doubt through the words we speak about ourselves.
I am oversimplifying this science, but I think you can capture the heart of the matter. When you speak words that bring hope, life, purpose, and direction, your cells, bones, and every part of your body responds.
Think about an athlete. They can easily be plagued by self-doubt, but they determine their ability by what they decide in their mind, and that decision drives their body.
Do you remember Olympic Gymnast Kerri Strug?
In the 1996 Olympics, Kerri was part of the Magnificent Seven gymnastics team. In her first vault, she was unable to land properly and severely injured her ankle.
Yet, she was determined to make a second vault and win a gold medal for the United States. She was not going to let the pain, or doubt, stop her.
With the pain in her ankle increasing, she only had thirty seconds to reset. As she headed back for the second run, her coach shouted, “You can do it!”
She ran toward the vault, not knowing that her ankle was broken from her first landing. How did she do it?
She had trained her mind, and her body followed.
Kerri began saying the declarations she had prepared for competition to motivate and focus her for the task. She ran toward the vault, launched into the air, and landed perfectly—on one foot.
The judges gave her a score of .971. Her coach carried her to the platform to receive her gold medal.
Both Private Doss and Kerri Strug faced impossible circumstances. Both were in situations where self-doubt could have easily stopped them. Yet, both made a positive mental decision and then trained so that that they acted on the decision, even in the face of great negativity.
Training our minds to focus on the positive creates health in us. The Book of Proverbs says, “Your words are so weighty that they have power to bring life or release death.”
Consider what you are speaking over your body, and what you are feeding your mind.
Are you nourishing yourself with positive thoughts and words?
My body is healthy.
My bones are strong.
My heart pumps in perfect sync.
My mind has clarity for today’s assignment.
When you begin to declare good things over your physical body and emotions, then your actions will line up with your mind. This same science that brings us health also brings our dreams and goals to fruition. Self-doubt does not have a chance.
The seed of a dream comes from your mind and is planted inside you. Everything you do feeds, waters, and nourishes that dream until you see it come alive.
My husband’s favorite quote is from Napoleon Hill: “Whatever your mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”
He lives by this, and he is one of the most successful men I know. When he sets a goal, I can guarantee it will be accomplished. He refuses to let negativity feed self-doubt, and our family has greatly benefited from his commitment to positivity and forward movement.
Now is the time for action!
Here are five simple tools that will help you turn mental negativity feeding self-doubt into positivity so you can achieve your goals.
1. Determine that there will be no negative talk for the next thirty days.
This can be challenging if you are around people who are naturally negative and speak doubt into you. This is where your determination to be positive will be tested.
Invite these people to join you in changing your words so that your life will be changed. Share this blog post with them and make this a team challenge.
2. Begin each day with positive declarations over your life.
Follow my Daily Positive Word on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter for inspiration for your positive declarations.
My book, Believing God and Believing His Word, will also help you reset the way you think. It contains ninety-three short stories to empower your mind, emotions, and physical body so you can achieve your dreams.
Each short story takes about five minutes to read and is an easy way to start your day off with a determination of success.
3. Journal your plans for change for today and in the future.
When a declaration goes from your mind to paper, it creates a deeper ownership.
Begin each day by writing what you expect from today using positive words. Then, write what you expect for the next thirty days because of your decision today.
4. Turn around your negative words quickly.
As soon as you catch negative, doubting words coming out of your mouth, stop and reverse the verbiage.
For example:
Negative: I will never be able to walk a mile.
Turned around: I will continue walking and each time I
do, I will go a little further until I am able to walk a mile.
5. Write down your dreams for the future.
Your actions will follow what you seed into your mind. Download my free dream worksheet to get you started envisioning your future.
Want some help processing through these elements? Fill out the Connection Form and we will begin the conversation.
I am passionate about helping you defeat self-doubt and connect to your best on your journey!
Remember, you are the best investment you can make!
If you want to find your passion AND the why behind it, sign up for my 6-week online course, Compelled to Change.
In this class, you will learn practical and repeatable strategies to accomplish your dreams and be unstoppable!
Abundant Blessings, Cindy
Cindy Stewart has a passion for people and helping them connect to their life purpose, discover their passions, and live their dreams. Cindy’s latest book, God’s Dream for Your Life, brings clarity to your purpose while unlocking vision of what is possible in the natural and the supernatural. She is an itinerant speaker, an executive coach, and hosts a weekly podcast on Charisma Podcast Network. Along with her husband, Chuck, they lead The Gathering Apostolic Center in Tarpon Springs, FL.
Please email Cindy with any questions or comments to cindystewartauthor@gmail.com. She’d love to hear from you.
Remember, you are the best investment you can make.