What To Do When You Lose Belief In Your Skills

You’ve done it. You’ve gone and got your dream career that you worked so hard to prepare for and now you’re reaping in the benefits of a full time position! it’s hard to think anything could go wrong now, right?

Well, there’s always a chance you’re going to get knocked back and lose faith in your own skills. One mistake can lead to another, and while we all make them, some can be hard to bounce back from. 

At times like these, you need to find your belief again. 

Not All Criticism is Good Criticism

Some criticism isn’t relevant, some is just harsh, and some criticism can be downright unfair and insulting. Being able to differentiate between these different types will make all the difference in what you believe about yourself. 

If the criticism is constructive, it can be of help. If it’s any other kind, you don’t need to listen to it and you can just block it out right now. We all need to have a reality check from time to time, but if you feel some criticism is unwarranted, it’s probably because it is! 

Investigate Other Career Routes

It might just be the job! Yes, sometimes you’re not the wrong person for the job, it’s simply wrong for you. And that’s OK – you can always try again somewhere else, even if you need to take a pay cut in the meantime. As long as you’re feeling more confident about your chances and the people you work with, you’ll be on the right track. 

If need be, you could even make use of career coaching services to find out where your skills will truly be valued. The better you feel about the job you do, the more you’re going to believe in yourself. This little bit of belief can even fast track you for a promotion within the first 6 months of your new role! 

Mistakes are Part of Life

This is a very important thing to tell yourself. Mistakes are natural, they’re a huge part of life, and we all make them. And as we noted above, some can be worse than others, but they’re still mistakes! That means they can be learned from. When you take the lesson, bank it, and make sure you do better in the future, you cannot ask more of yourself.

You could even use the mistake in question to impress in a job interview one day. If the interviewer asks about a time you knew something had gone wrong and what you did to fix it, this will be the prime example to bring up. Yes, you may feel a little silly doing so, but you’ll also prove you’re honest and authentic in the eyes of your new potential boss. 

If you’re losing belief in your professional skills, make sure you take note of the points above. It’s OK to feel doubt from time to time, but don’t let this affect your career in the long run.