For the last few weeks, we’ve been focused on a series called “The Lies We Tell Ourselves.” 

This is a relevant topic when it comes to our career because it’s important to understand all the ways that unconscious thinking can hold us back if we’re not careful. Specifically, how the things we tell ourselves – things we may or may not always be thinking at a conscious level – get in the way of what we want to do with our career and life.

The first two episodes in the series explored a few of the most common ‘lies’ we tell ourselves, which are “It’s too late” and “I don’t know how.” 

If you haven’t done so already, you might want to check out episodes 73 and 74 because they offer up an interesting perspective about how programmed patterns of thought can get us stuck and some helpful ways to break that cycle. So, you might want to go back and give that a listen.

This week we’re going to talk about another common lie that we tell ourselves. It’s one that so many people struggle with at one time or another in some aspect of their life. And that is the lie, “I’m not good enough.”

To clarify, what we’re going to talk about isn’t about trying something and just not feeling like you were very good at it. That happens. And when it’s something new, it’s usually true that we’re not very good at it. Most of the time, it takes practice and repetition before we master something new or feel like we’re good at it. And that’s not what I’m talking about here. 

This episode pertains to a persistent recurring pattern of thought around ‘not being good enough.’ So today, we’re going to explore the impact this thought can have if it’s something you think on a regular basis. And then I’ll offer up a few ways you can start to shift out of this negative thought pattern. 

This is going to be an interesting and I think very helpful episode for so many of us. So, let’s dive in.

Now, as we’ve talked about before on this podcast, we’re not always aware of that inner dialogue we all have. Sometimes we’re tuned in to our thoughts. But many times, we’re not. So, if that’s you, you might be thinking, “Well, I don’t know if I think I’m not good enough.” 

The important thing to know is that our brain works fast. According to neuroscientists we have around 60,000 thoughts a day. Whatever the actual number, it’s a lot of thoughts. So of course, we’re not aware of each one. 

Many times, that internal monologue is just running below the surface, kind of like that ticker at the bottom of the 24-hour news channel. They’re just there, always running, always scrolling by. And sometimes we tune into them and sometimes we don’t. 

But even if we don’t consciously tune in, those thoughts are still having an impact on us. They affect our mood. They’re the source of our emotions. And since we know that everything we do or don’t do is caused by how we’re feeling, it’s important to start tuning into or gaining some level of awareness into the quality of your thoughts.

For more, give the episode a listen.

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