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Summary: Self-doubt is quite possibly biggest obstacle that individuals must conquer in order to be successful; here are 3 tips to overcome it.

================================================================= Self-doubt: An Obstacle to Success

Whether you are starting a business, changing careers, or heading off on an adventure, it is natural for a little self-doubt to creep in. Do I really have what it takes to do this? Will people take me seriously? What will happen if I fail? Self-doubt can be difficult to overcome. It is quite possibly biggest obstacle that individuals must conquer in order to be successful. The world is missing out on many great inventions, talented art, and critical businesses because of self-doubt. People question their knowledge and ability to point where they would rather do nothing than to take a chance. But in words of Mark Twain: "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by things that you didn't do than by ones you did do. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch trade winds in our sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

If you find your own self-doubt hindering your personal progress, try these tips:

1. Listen to people around you. Most of us have friends and loved ones that we can count on to give us honest feedback. Ask those people to tell you what they think are your strengths and talents. You will surely get a laundry list of things that prove you are more than competent enough to pursue task at hand. But here's a tip: If people around you can't give you those motivating messages, that's probably one source of your problem; you need to upgrade your associations and surround yourself with more positive, supportive people.

Making money in itself is not success, but rather a by-produc tof success. Most successful people use technique of visualisation to foresee ideal outcomes. If you can foresee getting your desires in mind, then you can get there in body.... at least I think so!

"As a man thinketh so is he." (the Bible) Haven't I got that one in already?

Success or failure is not a matter of luck. The key ingredient is a winning attitude, together with PERSEVERANCE andcommon sense.

Your attitude determines your destiny:

Remember to stick at a task when things don't go right. "When going gets tough, tough get going", as my dear father used to tell me often. Did it work though with me? All successful people have true grit and stickability, as well as natural ability. The winner is often person who gets up one more time than they are knocked down. You will hit attitudes in others who say 'you can't do it'. You have a choice then: a) To remain convinced that you can do it. b) Stay with their attitude and quit yours.

All world's greats would never have been great if they had listened to opinion of even their closest friends. Caruso, world's greatest tenor, was told his voice sounded like a tin can. Thomas Edison, inventor of motion pictures, was advised that no-one would pay to listen to sound coming from a screen. Edison told Henry Ford to give up making cars and work for him instead and make millions. Marie Curie was told to forget about radium. Laurence Olivier was told by friends to give up acting. Benjamin Franklin was told to stop fiddling with lightning. People told Johnny Weismuller (Tarzan) that no-one would ever beat his fifty swimming records. His 1936 world record was qualifying time for 1972 Olympics! Attitudes of time said his records could never be beaten. Now 12 year old girls regularly beat his times.

Christopher Columbus took 14 years to raise funding for his ships and crew before setting out on his explorations. The science and culture of day had said that world was flat. However, Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain had faith in Columbus. With that faith and money behindhim, Columbus took just six months to discover New World.

In same way, a "flat-world mind-set" can limit our thinking and lead to mediocrity. In same way that you can train fleas to jump a certain height in a bowl, when you take away bowl, they still do not jump higher than learned height.