“You know the voice inside your head that taunts you whenever you try to be optimistic? It criticizes you when things get tough. It whines and repeats negative mantras like “You can’t do it. You’ll never be loved. You’re going to look stupid.”

Let's call that voice Self-Doubt. Every negative thought you've ever had about yourself came from Self-Doubt. Whenever you focus on what Self-Doubt says, you activate the feelings those thoughts created in you. When you remember and dwell on these negative thoughts, Self-Doubt strips you of your confidence. Self-Doubt is like a manipulative man. It tries to belittle you and steal your happiness. It wants to leave you scared and insecure.

The only way to silence Self-Doubt is by consciously activating another thought. In other words, remove a negative thought by replacing it with another thought.”