Oh hey there! Ever find that you take away lessons from the most unexpected places?  As I mentioned last week, I started my new workout schedule this week. After a stellar run on Monday, I completed a CST workout (chest, shoulders & triceps) yesterday which left me feeling dead in a good way…also on a major high.
For the first time in my life, I bench pressed with 22.5 lbs dumbbells! Although I have steadily been making progress, the idea of completing this exercise with dumbbells over 20 lbs has always seemed impossible. After a few warm up sets with slightly lighter weights, my trainer handed me the dumbbells for my main sets. I didn’t ask her about the weights, nor did she mention. After the last rep, I had a quick glance and had to do a double take: 22.5 lbs…say whaaaat!  Training progress aside, the point I’m getting to is more to do with self–doubt i.e. the feeling of uncertainty about your ability to accomplish something.
Whether we’re talking about workouts or life in general, we all stumble upon self-doubt at one stage or another. While physical effort is necessary, our mental approach is equally, if not more, crucial. Despite all the external roadblocks which may be present, sometimes the most crippling are the internal voices…the negative, destructive thoughts which hold us back from reaching our potential and being the person we want to be.Â
Although self-doubt is part of any process, fortunately it is only temporary and the end-result is not defined: it can either crush you or make you stronger. Let go of these thoughts which limit your potential and instead have confidence in your capabilities. Keep challenging yourself by setting a game plan and taking action. Maybe you won’t meet your goal tomorrow, but that doesn’t mean you won’t ever!  The only way you will know is if you try.   I believe Henry Ford phrased it best: Whether you think you can or can’t, you’re right.
When did you last surprise yourself with your abilities? Under what instances does self-doubt creep up?
For me, self-doubt shows up at works sometimes. I work with really smart people and the bar is set so high. I know I have it in me to succeed and help the team succeed but some days I feel like I don’t know what I’m doing and that I don’t add any value. Luckily, those days are becoming less and less 🙂
Great post, K! Very inspiring!
I can see how that would make you question your abilities. Although if anything, consider those smart colleagues as a blessing- by raising the bar, they challenge you to bring out the best in yourself! And I’m not surprised those days are becoming less frequent 😀
I PR’d on dumbbell chest press this week too! And yup, I surprised myself. I picked up what I thought would be impossible to lift weights “just to see”–and found out they weren’t impossible. Great feeling!
Way to go on the PR!! It makes all those not-so-great workouts worth it!
what a great message! Good for you.
Thanks!
Yayyy I love this post. I LOVE YOUR NEW BLOG LOOK!! I have been dying to do the thesis stuff, but have no idea how. I have thought about having one of the other bloggers do it for me. How did you do yours!?
Thank you!! Shooting you an email about all this blog stuff right now 🙂
#1 – Your blog looks fantastic!
#2 – I love this post. Congratulations! I feel this way every leg day. In fact, I quit looking at the weight my trainer loads on… I just ask after the fact. Don’t ask, don’t tell works wonders in hitting PRs. 🙂
Nice going on your PRs..and I know they’re just the start of many!! I’ve stopped asking my trainer about the weights now because I know she wouldn’t give me weights if she didn’t think I could bust out even a few reps!
As always, lovin your post. I doubt myself constantly and think I do nothing right.. ever. But we all have abilities and we need to stop bringing ourselves down or doubting ourselves because we really are capable of so much more!
From your posts alone, I know you do plenty right..much more than you give yourself credit for :)! Easier said than done but I completely agree about needing to stop bringing ourselves down!
I…struggle with self-doubt all the time…it annoys the fuck out of me, but I can’t help it as well. I try and look at it as a challenge that I can get through and remind myself that I’m not doing anything for anyone – just myself and my happiness. So that helps 🙂 Plus surrounding myself with positive things helps me keep positive.
I love that last pic 🙂
Good point about doing it just for yourself…personally I know that would help take the pressure off somewhat…and I’d probably be more likely to achieve whatever it is I’m after!
I found the pictures in this post were exceptionally funny today! Very motivational words too. Why does that voice in our heads get pleasure from making us doubt ourselves?! It is definitely time to block it out and dream bigger 🙂 Well done on the 22.5lbs! That’s amazing 🙂
Thanks Sonal! I’m glad you got a kick out of the pics…the poop & squat ones were too good to not share 😀
That is my all time FAVOURITE quote! So much truth in that! 🙂 I haven’t surprised myself lately but I’ve probably had too much self doubt floating around,
It’s mine too…so simple yet such a powerful message 🙂
Woot woot! Congrats 🙂 My husband does that to me whenever we train together – hands me the weight and doesn’t let me look at it! That’s how I started pressing the 45s!
45s?? You are my hero…hopefully I will be at that level soon! Actually not hopefully, it WILL happen 🙂
Great post!
I love when I have days where those kinds of life lessons just speak to you!
Thank you – I am glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Woohoo! Congrats on your progress! Self doubt has definitely crept in several times in my fitness life. The most recent one i can think of is how for the longest time, i did my pull-ups/chin-ups assisted because for some reason i accepted that i wouldn’t be able to do them for a while then one day i thought, ehhh why not.. i’ll just try it. I’ve never done them assisted ever again after that day. 🙂
Oh, and i love the quote about Squats!
Easier said than done but you never know unless you try, right! Way to go on pull ups- a huge achievement!
I wish I believed in myself more…I wish I was more confident in my abilities…I wish I could get rid of my all-or-nothing mentality…
As you can see, I have a lot of self-doubt and uncertainty. However, I’ve been making a conscious effort to change my perspective…trying to ditch my perfectionistic nature and instead going to focus on taking baby steps…I’m embracing slow progression 😉
It’s so hard to ditch that all-or-nothing mentality..know I’m guilty of it every so often :)! As cliche as it sounds, aim for progress not perfection!!
Great post! There are many days when I go to the gym and I feel like I’m too tired to workout or I just don’t feel like it but once I start, there’s no stopping! All that negativity just goes away instantly.
SO true! The hardest bit for me is getting to the gym…once I get going, I always seem to surprise myself!