“What if this doesn’t work out?”

This one single sentence has destroyed more dreams than grains of sand in the Sahara.

The human brain is a prediction machine.

We like to predict everything (even when we have zero info about it), because we want to be sure. Right?

Because, uncertainty creates anxiety.

So our brain just cooks up stories to maintain a sense of certainty.

And when these stories are negative, we will self-sabotage by thinking this is not going to work out.

Today I’ll share with you a simple mindset shift that has helped me remove self-doubt and stay on my life’s mission.

Let’s dive in.

Having recently shifted into the personal branding space, I started doubting my decision.

Someone even commented on one of my posts that I shouldn’t have changed my name and brand because it’s going to limit my reach and my engagement will go down.

He was right.

My engagement is down.

And to be completely transparent with you, I’ve even lost a bunch of followers.

And this naturally got me thinking,

“Did I f*ck up?”

But after reflecting on why I made that decision and re-connecting with my values, I started feeling okay again.

And that reflection taught me that it only takes 5 seconds to destroy self-doubt.

Here’s how.

The Mindset Shift 

This shift is so simple and logical, but our mind gets so overwhelmed while fighting self-doubt that it completely disconnects us from reality.

Here it is:

Wherever you start doubting yourself, ask yourself this:

“How about 5 years from now?”

Imagine you’re 200 pounds.

It’s your Day 1 at the gym.

It’s obvious that you’re not going to notice any change on day 1.

Not even for a week.

But how about 5 years from now.

If you hit the gym consistently for 5 years, you’re going to have a body like it was carved out of marble.

The same applies to everything in life.

Health, wealth, happiness, or relationships.

Everything compounds over time, the only condition is consistency.

We get delusional by not seeing immediate results and give up too soon.

But we forget, between action and result, there is a gap.

That gap is called time.

It will happen. But it will take time.

Being patient and consistently working towards our goal is the key to success.

No one believed Tesla would become a leading manufacturer of battery cars.

All market experts laughed it off.

Everyone was rooting against Elon.

But Elon understood the concept of time.

He was playing the game of decades, not weeks or months.

And it all comes down to our subconscious beliefs.

Our childhood beliefs are the biggest reason we keep sabotaging our chances of success.

For example: if you were constantly made to feel like you’re not good enough, when you grow up, those beliefs will keep controlling your behavior and actions.

You may have incredible gifts and talent, but limiting beliefs hold you back from taking action.

If you can relate to this, you can read ‘Born to Stand Out‘, where I explain how you can overcome this self-limiting programming and discover your true power as an introvert.

The key here is to not let your compulsive self-limiting emotions hold you back from taking action.

Let go of the desire to see immediate results.

Don’t look at life with a tiny narrow lens, zoom out.

Broaden your perspective and think long-term.

Imagine how life would look like if you keep doing your thing for the next five years.

It’s like that rabbit and tortoise story.

The rabbit may be fast, but it’s the tortoise who wins at the end.

If you create your account on X today and start your personal brand journey, you’re not going to get 100 likes on your first post.

It took me 2 long months to reach my first 1000 followers.

But I believed in my heart if stayed consistent for a couple of years, I’ll be right next to all the big accounts I admired.

It’s less about talent, more about consistency.

People who stay consistent always win in the long-run.

We live on a planet where success is governed by the law of cause and effect.

You have control only over the cause, not the effect.

Create the cause and learn to wait.

The effect will happen.

All it needs is some time.

Stay blessed,

Karun