OH! Magazine - Australian Version August 2016 | Page 11

( Exercise
Emotional
Fitness ) )
Adherence

MOVING FORWARDS

HEIDI
DI SANTO

DESPITE SELF-DOUBT
Emotional fitness expert Heidi Di Santo helps you
move through self-doubt towards success.

elf-doubt, low self-esteem and a
lack of confidence are common
feelings, but the thing is, they are completely
normal and virtually everyone experiences
them at some point in time in their lives.

S

There's often a tendency to think that
there's something wrong with us when we
have those 'not good enough' feelings, or
'lack of' emotions. But, as mentioned above,
these emotions are completely normal –
even among the most successful people in
the world.
There's a famous American Indian fable of
two wolves, where an old Cherokee is
teaching his grandson about life. He tells
the boy:
'A fight is going on inside me. It is a terrible
fight between two wolves. One is evil – he is
angry, jealous, doubting and full of self-pity
and negativity. The other is good – he is
hopeful, loving, caring, generous and looks
on the bright side of life. The same fight is
going on inside you (and inside every other
person, too).'
The grandson thought about it for a minute
and then asked his grandfather, 'Which wolf
will win?' To which, the Cherokee simply
replied, 'The one you feed.'
The same applies to you and your life. When
you have self-doubt, you can focus on the

doubt and let it make you feel small and
incapable, which will lead to a lack of action
and self-pity. The alternative option is to
acknowledge the doubt and then keep
going. Keep focusing on your goal and
asking yourself 'what can I do today to help
me move in the direction of my dreams and
desires?' Ultimately, it's up to you as to
which wolf you feed!
Taking action on a daily or regular basis is
the key. The famous saying, 'the journey of
a thousand miles begins with the first step'
really applies here.
Once you've set your goal, it may freak you
out when you think about how you're going
to achieve it, so I suggest you don't focus
too often on the end destination!

Instead, break your goal down into small
manageable pieces and just do one thing
each day to help you achieve it; you'll be
surprised how daily action really adds up.
You should also be aware that comparisons
outside of yourself are really dangerous.
Whenever you compare yourself to someone
else, you'll always feel 'better than' or 'worse
than,' which is a yucky way to live. This is
because comparisons often make you feel
lousy and can grind your action to a
complete stop.
I regularly fall into the 'comparison trap',
but once I'm aware it's happening I talk
lovingly to myself; it's a gentle reminder that
the only truly important comparison is with
myself. I ask myself 'have I made progress
and am I closer to my goal today compared
to when I started?' If the answer is 'yes',
then that's all that matters.
For more information about this and other
emotional fitness topics visit
www.heidi.com.au

YOU CAN CONTACT HEIDI VIA:
Web: heidi.com.au
Facebook: Heidi-Di-Santo-EmotionalFitness-Specialist-299600633422574/

AUGUST 2016 (OH! MAGAZINE)

11