Like most people, you want to achieve career success. One of the most common problems that stands in your way is self-doubt. Even successful entrepreneurs doubt their own abilities from time to time. While a little self-doubt can teach you to be cautious, too much can be debilitating. Successful people learn how to reduce self-doubt so that they can focus on their career success.

Stay Silent About Your Goals

In recent psychology studies, telling someone about your goal makes you less likely to do the work necessary to achieve career success. Your brain perceives telling someone about the goal as actually doing it. This means you are less likely to reach your dreams because your mind already thinks you have done it. Instead of talking about your intentions, develop an action plan outlining the steps you will take to achieve your goals.

Never Make Excuses

When you suffer from self-doubt, you are afraid that you will fail. Before you complete the project, you your focus is divided between the work and the fear of not being successful which affects your ability to be at your best. If your brain is thinking of excuses as to why you should not or cannot do something, it presents a huge obstacle in achieving your goals.

You Are Not Alone

Self-doubt is experienced by even the most successful people. In a study by the European Institute for Leadership and Management, 31 percent of male managers and 50 percent of female managers reported experiencing self-doubt. It is entirely natural to feel some level of doubt and if done in a constructive way, you can identify and take action on ways to improve.

Be Compassionate

If an employee misses a deadline, you may be more understanding than if you don’t meet a goal. When you do not live up to your standards, you are probably less compassionate. It is typically easier to be compassionate toward other people. While having high standards is good, you also have to practice self-compassion. In research studies, self-compassion was linked to less anxiety, better mental health and higher life satisfaction. Mistakes happen. How you learn from those mistakes determines your career success.

Get Support to Achieve Career Success

Researchers have found that positive support can reduce your self-doubt. A job coach, mentor or boss can help you find solutions and be proactive. Over time, this support and proactive attitude can help overcome self-doubt and achieve career success.

Surround Yourself With the Right People

The experiences you have in life can remake your neural pathways and change how you think. Your social connections can impact your success in life. While you still have some control over your future, the people you spend time with impact who you are, how you think and what you become. In addition, the people around you can help with networking, support you during difficult projects and offer good advice. You want your closest circle to have different strengths that complement you so that you can tap into their expertise and improve on those skills.

Set Goals

Goals help you know what you want to accomplish and how to get there. When you choose a goal, make sure to set specific milestones and steps to reach each one. Goal-setting helps you plan for obstacles. As you accomplish each goal, you will naturally start to build your self-confidence.