During the 1990s, I never laughed harder than the time I saw Michael Jordan receive self-help therapy for low self-esteem.
Jordan was hosting Saturday Night Live, and I tuned-in to watch from my bedroom just in time to see His Airness do something truly hilarious. Yes, right before my very eyes, the world’s most dominant athlete volunteered to engage in an unlikely counseling session with Stuart Smalley – SNL’s resident psychiatric quack.
The goofy therapist wasted no time asking his über-confident client the following question: “Michael, on the night before a game, don’t you secretly lie awake in your bed and tell yourself that you are not good enough for basketball, and that all the other players are better than you?”
Unfazed, the six-time NBA champion and Finals MVP simply stared at his interviewer.
“I mean, c’mon, Michael. Don’t you lie there at night, thinking there’s no way you could ever score enough points to win the next game? Don’t you secretly think you have no business playing basketball at all? If so, it’s perfectly okay to wrestle with those doubts…”
By this point, I had fallen off my bed and was literally rolling on the floor with laughter. Of course Michael Jordan never thought such things! He was the best basketball player in history! It was brilliant satire, because it was so ludicrous…
Or was it?
We All Wrestle With Self-Doubt
Brilliant comedy aside, we all wrestle with self-doubt and discouraging voices inside our heads. I certainly do, from time to time. You do, too – at least occasionally. And I would bet that Michael Jordan did as well (although rarely on the basketball court).
Self-doubt is simply a natural part of life, ingrained inside your subconscious mind from a young age, driven by inevitable mistakes during your early trial-and-error education as a human. Your earliest mistakes can be both painful and memorable – which is good news for anybody who desires to learn from the past. This type of self-awareness is actually quite healthy (and vital for success).
But there is second type of self-doubt – a type so unhealthy it belongs in the candy aisle of your local grocery store (somewhere between triple-stuffed Oreos and chocolate-covered chocolate). This unhealthy type of self-doubt cuts right to the core of your identity as a person – right to your soul itself:
Since I’ve made so many mistakes in the past, is true success and satisfaction still attainable for me in the future?
And if true success is still attainable for me, am I even worth it?
I probably don’t even deserve…
Stop right there. This type of nagging self-doubt is, at best, counterproductive to your confident success as an investor. At worst, it can choke your joys in life, ruin your relationships, and even become physically debilitating.
Don’t Resist Success. You’re Worth It!
If this resonates with you at all – if you have ever doubted that you are deserving of success and satisfaction – then you need to hear what Dan Nichols has to say.
We’ve already covered a lot of ground with Dan during recent weeks, including his helpful commentaries about The Success Disconnect: What's Really Stopping You? and How to Not Fear Looking Like a Drunk Clown. This is good stuff, and definitely worth checking out.
Today Dan escorts us deeper into the recesses of the human psyche, demystifying the counterproductive insecurities that threaten to leave you paralyzed in the face of success and joy. So wave "goodbye" to unhealthy self-doubting (and bid "adieu" to Stuart Smalley), because you deserve much better.
From Dan Nichols, Mindset Advisor...
{Mogul Elite: Download a transcript and MP3 of this video in the Power Pack tools for this lesson.}
Understand: Understand that your insecurities are gifts to be unwrapped for personal growth and maturity.
Think: Think about your thinking. Analyze the various “triggers” in your life that hurt your feelings or make you feel insecure – then try to figure-out where they came from.
Grow: Use the “triggers” in your life to identify any lies which may be haunting your psyche, then speak truth into your own inner mindset.
Dan Nichols
has been an entrepreneur since an early age. He always had the desire to handle things himself. For him, this makes the wins sweeter and losses about improving performance. This jack-of-all-trades mentality has led Dan to developing a host of consultative services for entrepreneurs and business startups.