Letting Go of Self-Doubt: A Journey to Confidence.

One thing I would honestly say I’m currently battling with and would definitely want to let go of in the second part of the year is self-doubt. I doubt myself a lot — more than I’d like to admit. There’s this voice that always finds a way to sneak in and say things like, “You’re not enough” or “You can’t do it”, even when I’ve put in the work. It’s frustrating, and at times, it makes me feel like I’m standing in my own way.

Just last week, I had this major presentation in school to mark the end of my fourth year. Each of us in class was given a topic to work on, and we were expected to present in front of our teachers and fellow students. At first, I felt like I could handle it — after all, I had done my research and tried my best to prepare. But as the presentation day got closer, that inner voice of doubt started creeping in again.

I ended up being part of the last four people to present out of twelve, and by the time it got to my turn, I was already feeling super nervous. Infact, from the beginning when the first four people presented i was already bothered about what they would say about my presentation simply because of the way the teachers were actually tackling the four of them with several questions. They even went as far as talking about the way they dressed. So from that moment, I just kept thinking of all the things that could go wrong, and unfortunately, that fear showed in my presentation. I started fidgeting, and my words didn’t come out as clearly as I had rehearsed. Honestly, it didn’t feel like I was presenting at my best.

What hurt the most was when one of the teachers commented that I didn’t look confident and that it seemed like I didn’t prepare well — which wasn’t true at all. I had actually spent time going through my topic, reading, and practising. But in that moment, all that preparation was overshadowed by the self-doubt that had taken over.

This experience really made me realize that self-doubt is something I have to let go of, especially now that I’m getting close to my final year. I know there are still going to be more presentations, more group work, and of course, I’ll eventually have to defend my final year project. If I don’t deal with this issue now, it’ll keep holding me back.

At the end of the day, i am learning that the fear I feel doesn’t mean I’m not capable — it just means I care. But I can’t let that fear control me. I want to start believing in myself more, reminding myself that I’ve come this far for a reason. Self-doubt has done me more harm than good, especially when it comes to my academics, and I’m ready to leave it behind and start showing up as the confident version of myself that I know I can be.

Thanks for reading.

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