How do you know if you're holding yourself back? I get this question quite a bit. People say: "You're a confidence expert. I think I'm confident, but how do I know if I am living to my full potential?" Today, I'd like to share four signs that could potentially mean you're holding yourself back. Keep reading or watch the video below for more...

When somebody gives you a compliment, how do you feel? Do you feel empowered, or do you feel like an imposter? If your answer sounds like: "Oh no, I don't deserve it. It was nothing. It was a team effort!", then maybe you're holding yourself back. If you're having a hard time receiving a pat on the back whenever someone tells you you've done a good job, maybe there's some work that could be done there. You are not an imposter, nor are you a fraud! You deserve it. Instead, you should be saying in your head: “Yes, you are totally right, I am awesome!”

When you are about to make a decision, do you hesitate? If you don't have the clarity as to what you want to be doing, it may be a sign that you lack a little confidence, because that's one thing that confidence gives you: Clarity.

Self-doubt can also be noticed when you are in a meeting or you are with a group and somebody asks a question, and you wait to put your hand up to see what others are going to say. You don't want to voice your opinion until you know everybody is on the same page. This way, you can just agree! Ordering food in a restaurant is another example. Do you wait for others to order to see what they want? This self-doubt, this imposter syndrome, this not really wanting to commit to something because you are not sure about yourself is a sign you may need a little confidence boost. 

Do you sometimes put things off and push them away? It may be because of fear. I have a whole series on procrastination if you'd like to know more. If this is something you do, it may be a sign that you're holding yourself back, because you procrastinate a task you know you should be doing. It's on your list. It's important, but yet you're pushing it away. If you tend to procrastinate, then maybe, confidence in the area of the task you are pushing away needs to be on your list of skills to acquire. 

The last piece is negative self-talk. That voice inside your head, is it nice? How do you talk to yourself? Research shows that 70% of our thoughts are negative. What does yours sound like? If your voice sometimes sounds nasty, then it may be a sign you need to up your confidence.

There you have it: Accepting compliment, self-doubt, procrastination and negative self-talk. These are all signs that you may be holding yourself back. Let's get rid of these so that you can live your full life at your full potential.

DO YOU PUT THINGS OFF SOMETIMES?

It may because of fear, and it's most probably holding you back.

Download the THINK Yourself® INTO ACTION Guide to stop procrastinating & get back into action. These 6 strategies to stop procrastinating will help you exit the loop and do what you need to do without postponing it!

Check out some of my previous blog posts...