Self Limiting beliefs – Part 2: Overcoming self-doubts

Overcoming self-doubts: Control your kite, control your life  

Overcoming self-doubt with kitesurfing? After a decade of practice, I come to realize that it’s not just a fun and cool sport. It’s a journey of self-discovery and empowerment. You may not have thought about it. But there are similarities with being able to ride on a kiteboard, controlling our kite and overcoming self-doubts.

Here are the connections. By reading the wind, conquering our kite, our kiteboard, and being able to ride the waves of success. we learn lessons that are a perfect parallel to overcoming self-doubts.  These self-doubts can hold us back in our personal and impact negatively in our life.

Have you read the previous post on self-limiting beliefs – part 1? We discovered our two characters, that are living in our head. Downa, our negative thoughts and Uppa, our cheerleader and positive thoughts. Let’s  see how we can listen to the right advisor to overcome our self-doubts.

Embracing the Learning Curve:

Just like picking up a kite for the first time, overcoming self-doubts begins with acknowledging that there’s a learning curve, when you start a new challenge. Our advisor Uppa is affirming it’s fine to be a beginner or start at the bottom of ladder. And what is great when we are in that position, is that we can only improve. Uppa also tells us that every fall is a lesson or an experience, not a failure. Listen to your wise internal voice! It’s fine to start a new role and don’t forget we have other past experiences. This is part of what we are, and with that, we’re actually not starting from scratch.

It’s fine to be the foreigner in a new country, we will meet great people and learn a new culture. It’s fine to have a new family situation, you will discover that everyone in the family will adjust and find their place. This is part of the learning and how we can control our lives, or balance our worklife, like when we control our kite with strong winds, or adapt our kite size to adapt with lighter conditions.

Cultivating Resilience:

The unpredictability of the ocean teaches any kitesurfer resilience, like any of our wipe out, we learn to get back up. Similarly, pushing against self-limiting beliefs or overcoming self-doubts requires resilience. Bouncing back from setbacks with a stronger belief in our own abilities. Uppa is closer than what we think in any of our difficult moment. let’s have in mind that we can call her and she would gives us the strength and resilience to control our life.

Our project is delayed, or we have missed a commercial opportunity? Let’s go deeper in the understanding on why it has happened and take all the learnings to improve. Our team member is unhappy? Ask why and discuss openly to help his or her personal/ professional challenges to move forward. We’ve not been selected for an executive position or a new promotion? Ask the head hunter, hiring manager why and improve for the next opportunities that will come.

Any new situation is a new experience that is adding up in our life and will help us building stronger resilience after every set back. This is how we could get rid of and overcome self-doubts and move on to the next level.

Building Self-Trust:

Navigating the waves demands trust in your own abilities. Uppa believes in us. We need to focus on the positives of the situation and listen to this internal voice inside us. She will help us to affirm all the good things we’ve accomplished and push us to believe, in what we can do, to believe in ourselves.

A kitesurfer will grow more confident, the more he or she would practice. We can translate this level of self-trust back onto dry land, believing in our capacity to navigate career challenges, seize opportunities to control our life. It’s always taken time to build an expertise, unless we’re a genius. Cultivating every wins along our learning path will help us in believing in ourselves and overcome self-doubts far from us. Uppa is our ally to build this positive mindset and ensure that she’s with us in all steps of our personal and worklife. Then together with Uppa, let’s kick out Downa!

Every little wins need to be celebrated. Let’s dance, let’s shout, let’s sing very time it happens! Our joy will be contagious even if others think we’re crazy! Let’s be happy and crazy! Let’s push further to create more personal and worklife balance.

Finding Strength in Community:

If you want to go fast go alone, if you want to go far go together! having a community, a tribe we can rely on is a great recipe to overcome self-doubts.

In our professional lives, as executives, professionals, entrepreneurs, we do have unique challenges. These are not easy to share with other colleagues, peers, close friends, or family. It’s only when we meet other people alike us, in a seminar, in a conference, or in a network of other executives or professionals, that the conversation starts to flow. This is because the people share the same concerns, challenges. And if we add sport activities in the discussion, the connection becomes even more stronger as the common passion becomes the bonding.

When kitesurfing, even if we ride alone on our kiteboard, we often find or meet others, like in  tribes. It’s the community that cheers us on and picks us up when we fall. Sports, in general has this huge ability to gather people from various background but mind alike. With such a community, overcoming self-doubts is easier as others can bring us support and lift us up. A network of peers, mind alike can provide the encouragement needed to push back our perceived limitation. And with a tribe like IFWEKITE, Downa can only disappear and even Uppa doesn’t need to do much, as the power of the community or the network will cheerfully support us positively. Allying this kind of personal and worklife balance will help us overcoming self-doubts and get stronger together.

Joy in the Process:

There’s a thrill in riding with the wind blowing on our face, having the ocean at sight and beautiful and peaceful landscapes. It’s like nothing else—it’s fun, exhilarating, and incredibly rewarding to our own self. Overcoming self-doubts can bring a similar joy, from achieving something we once thought impossible.

Through kitesurfing, we learn to respect the elements, to adapt, and to find our strength. The lessons from the water can teach us to untangle the lines and overcome our self-doubts, to navigate the winds of change, and to ride the waves of success with newfound confidence.

In the next section, we will offer practical steps to help you translate these lessons into action, both on the kitesurfing board and in our personal or worklife.

Practical Steps to Overcome Self-doubts

Now, how do we move past the self-limiting beliefs with Uppa  and overcome self-doubts? Here are practical steps to start breaking down the barriers and rewriting the narrative of “I can’t” into “I will”. I will be kitesurfing, I will get this executive position, I will nail this project, I will handle this team, etc…

Overcoming self-doubts – Identify and Acknowledge:

The first step to overcoming self-doubts is to recognize these self-limiting beliefs. When Downa is pushing these thoughts in our heads, write them down. Sometimes, seeing these negative thoughts on paper, would help Uppa to strengthen and decrease her power  and ultimately invert the trend. These are few examples of Downa’s standard thoughts she’d put in our head: I have never managed such a big project, I have never lived in any other countries, I have never had an executive role, I’m not strong enough to start kitesurfing, etc…  BUT, I will…

Let’s remember the affirmations that will help us regaining strength in our personal and worklife and overcome self-doubts.

Overcoming self-doubts – Challenge the Belief:

Asking ourselves, “Is this really true?” is the starting point to overcome self-doubts as if we were learning a new kitesurfing trick. What if Downa thinks we will never be able to launch our kitesurf, or to ride the waves? let’s practice, don’t be afraid to fall and let her be wrong. It’s all part of the process.

We will see that we have the ability, capacity to overcome self-doubts with our own experiences. Uppa will encourage us and here’s what she can push in your head: “my kitesurfing practice will reshape my cores and I will succeed to ride on the waves”, “I have managed projects and can manage bigger ones too”, “I can sell any services with my past performance”, “I have lived in many cities and travelled in many countries, I can move and adapt in a new country”, “I have decades of experience and I am ready for my next move”, etc…

In the book “Who moved my cheese”, Spencer Johnson is describing this process of challenging the status quo and how it could be daunting at first to get out of our comfort zone. But as we try, or experiment new situation, little by little we get used to the new habit and ultimately overcome  self-doubts. This book is such as great fable for everyone, to learn that the only constant in life is CHANGE and that we just need to adapt.

Overcoming self-doubts – Positive Affirmations:

Replace Downa’s negative beliefs with Uppa’s positive affirmations. Repeat these affirmations daily, like a mantra. In kitesurfing, it’s about believing we can make that kite launch and ride on the board. In life, it’s about believing we are capable and deserving our success, such as changing to a new position, getting a new project, moving to another country, selling a new product or service.

We are ready, we are capable, we are strong, we are in charge!

Overcoming self-doubts – Small Steps Lead to Big Leaps:

Start with small goals that challenge our self-limiting beliefs. Each achievement, no matter how minor it seems, is a step towards greater confidence. Every time we get on the board, we’re one step closer to mastering the waves. Every time we achieve a milestone in our project is a celebration. Every commercial sale is adding up to our objectives. Every working experience is getting us closer to our next move. Every team member we select and hire is creating the culture we want for our group.

And all this is up to us. So let’s jump the leap of faith, believe in ourself!

Overcoming self-doubts –  Celebrate Success:

Recognize and celebrate our progress. We tend to minimize every success even minor ones. But each time we overcome a hurdle, let’s take time to enjoy the accomplishment. It’s like catching the perfect wind—enjoy that moment, and let it propel you forward to the next challenge. Don’t forget the feeling you get when you celebrate, you feel good, others feel good, and this create the positive environment that Uppa is fond of. Just appreciate and cherish this moment. Did you remember when was the last time you celebrate yourself? Practice the game of gratitude and be indulgent with yourself.
For kitesurfers, it’s everytime we can jump and land our board on the water! This is when we have our banana faces and cheering ourselves. This is Uppa dancing in my head!
Well, whatever is your small or big success, let’s keep this moment somewhere in our mind. Remember it, so that Uppa can come back cheerfully in your thoughts. It’s like keeping a picture of your happiness in a drawer, and taking it out whenever we need a boost of energy and Uppa power!

Just like the IFWEKITE – our kitesurfing tribe, find people that uplift us. Whether it’s a mentor, a coach, or friends who cheer us on, surrounding ourself with positivity is key. We are the average of the 5 closest people surrounding us. Let’s keep this in mind. We’d better be surrounded by positive minds. Whatever kind of positive network, with other like-minded tribe, such as IFWEKITE, we will be able to elevate ourselves to the next level. In our group, we have the same challenges and willingness to share our experience to support each one in the tribe.

Overcoming self-doubts –  Reflect and Adjust:

Continuously reflect on progress and be willing to adjust whenever it is required. Like adapting to the wind when it changes direction. We need to maneuver differently or else the wind will just blow us off if we maintain the same position.  What works for one kitesurfer might not work for another—and what works for us in one situation may need some tweaks for others. We are unique and need to find our own path to set us free from self-limiting beliefs.

By taking these steps, we’ll begin to free ourselves from the chains of doubt. We’ll be able to tackle challenges with the same vigor with which we ride the waves during a kitesurfing session—energetic, unafraid, and always ready for more.

Remember that we can control our personal life and worklife, it’s all up to us.

 Conclusion:

In our journey through the world of self-limiting beliefs, we’ve seen how they can tear us down, and we’ve explored the parallels between overcoming these beliefs and the freeing experience of kitesurfing. Like navigating the waves with a board and a kite, tackling self-doubt requires courage, resilience, and a bit of adventurous spirit.

Remember, the beliefs that hold us back are often as non-substantial as the ocean foam. They are present one moment and gone the next. We just need to choose to listen to Uppa and ride past them. It’s about making the decision to ride the waves of success. Each of us has the power to overcome the self-imposed limits that keep us from achieving our fullest potential, both in our personal lives and worklife.

So, as we’re ending this post, let’s reflect on our own self-limiting beliefs. Let’s think of our internal voices. Which one would you chose to overcome our self-doubts, Downa or Uppa? We choose Uppa! What’s your choice?

Consider joining us during networking sessions or on paradisiac waters. You will truly experience the transformative power of kitesurfing, to feel the rush of breaking through barriers, and to embrace the joy of unlocking our full potential.

The wind is calling. It’s time to answer, to get out of our comfort zone and to ‘Ride the Wave of Success.’ Our journey to boost confidence in our personal life and worklife is just a kite launch away😊

Neary

 

What if we kite?