Breakthrough Self-Doubt By Taking Out the Trash



Reflections



Posted On June 14, 2024

Once a week, I roll my trash bin down to the curb. The truck comes, lifts the bin, and dumps the garbage.

Poof! My trash disappears.

Wouldn’t it be nice if dumping all the negative thoughts that collect in our minds were as easy as taking out the weekly trash?

We’d bag up the stuff that pollutes us—things like self-doubt, guilt, shame, or our over-inflated egos—take them to the curb and watch as the garbage truck hauls them away.

I’m learning from my teachers that there is a way to dig out of the garbage heap we self-inflict and bury ourselves in.

It requires taking out the false, mind-made trash regularly and replacing those lies with truth.

This inner dumping is an ongoing, lifelong process

Here are key principles and practices that can help.

1. Recognize Your True Identity

Our true identity is not the ego or the body, but the spirit. Understanding you are a creation of God, inherently worthy and perfect, helps in letting go of self-doubt and self-judgment.

2. Forgiveness

Forgive yourself and others.
By allowing yourself and others to make mistakes and learning from them with a forgiving heart, you release past wounds caused by others and your self-judgments.

3. Shift in Perception

Shift from seeing through the eyes of the ego, which judges and fears, to seeing through the eyes of the Holy Spirit, which sees only love and unity.
Practicing this shift can diminish self-judgment.

4. Daily Practice and Meditation

Spend time each day in quiet, seeking to listen and hear God’s inner voice of love.

By unplugging from the world and being present to God, you create heart space to reinforce the truths of self-love. You discover who your True Self is and receive heavenly guidance.

5. Understanding Projection

Projection is a defense mechanism in which we attribute our unwanted thoughts, feelings, or impulses to someone else. It happens when we transfer our unconscious anxieties or fears onto others, allowing us to avoid dealing with them directly.

Much of our judgment of others and ourselves is actually a projection of our unresolved fears and guilt. By understanding what projection is and noticing when we do it, we can stop self-judgment and quiet our inner critic.

6. Trust in the Holy Spirit

Place your trust in the Holy Spirit, your internal guide to peace and truth.

This trust helps you move away from the ego’s fearful and judgmental mindset and hear God’s voice of love and wisdom.

7. Miracle Mindset

A miracle can be described as a supernatural event or extraordinary occurrence, but it’s also a shift in perception from fear to love.

Every act of love is a miracle.

Adopting a “miracle mindset” means being open to love and forgiveness in every situation. By seeing life through the lens of love, you’re less likely to engage in self-doubt and self-judgment.

This Week’s Spiritual Practice: Observe and Replace Your Self-Talk

This week, notice when your thoughts are filled with negativity, self-judgment, or self-doubt.

Replace that self-talk by listening only to the voice of love—your Inner Teacher.

Here are examples of negative self-doubt or critical thoughts, along with positive replacements you can practice:

Negative Thought: I’m not good enough.

Positive Replacement: I am worthy and capable just as I am.

Negative Thought: I always mess things up.

Positive Replacement: I learn and grow from every experience, including my mistakes.

Negative Thought: I’ll never succeed.

Positive Replacement: I am on a journey towards success, and each step brings me closer.

Negative Thought: People don’t like me.

Positive Replacement: I am valued and appreciated by those who truly know me.

Negative Thought: I don’t deserve happiness.

Positive Replacement: I am deserving of happiness and embrace joy in my life.

Negative Thought: I’m too afraid to try.

Positive Replacement: Courage is not the absence of fear but the determination to push through that which frightens us.

Negative Thought: I’m a failure.

Positive Replacement: I learn from failure, since it is an important part of success, and I am resilient and persistent.

Negative Thought: I can’t do anything right.

Positive Replacement: With God’s help, I am capable of achieving great things.

Negative Thought: Nobody cares about me.

Positive Replacement: I am loved and cared for by many people.

Negative Thought: I’m not talented enough.

Positive Replacement: I have God-given talents and abilities that contribute to my success.

By replacing your self-doubt or critical thoughts with positive affirmations, you rewire the neurons in your brain and the time-worn thought patterns in your mind. You are able to see yourself as God sees you—the Divine Essence of God’s love in your human form.

Remember to be patient and persistent; taking out the garbage that seeps into our minds takes time since we’ve collected a lifetime of negative and false perceptions.

With practice and the divine flow of God’s grace, you’ll breakthrough self-doubt and live more fully from your True Self.

—brian j plachta
brianplachta.com

Pick up a copy of my latest book, Finding Flow–Spiritual Practices to Reclaim Inner Peace, Balance, and Wholeness.

Click here for a 3-minute video about Finding Flow

Get your copy of Finding Flow in paperback or digital format on Amazon by:

Click Here to Get Your Copy

Written by Brian J. Plachta

Following the Breadcrumbs God Leaves Along Our Path

What if God is speaking through ordinary moments more often than we realize?

A conversation that stays with us. A door that closes. A quiet nudge we can’t quite explain. An unexpected invitation that seems to come at just the right time.

The challenge is learning to notice these moments before we have any idea where they’re leading, and trusting the next step.

Over time, we may begin to see that God’s guidance doesn’t always come as an answer. Sometimes, it comes as a trail.

What to Do When God Seems Silent

Has silence ever made you feel like God is far away? When we feel this way, it’s easy to start looking for answers or waiting for a clear sign. But prayer can also be as simple as slowing down and noticing what’s already here. The breeze. The waves. Your breath. The quiet. God’s presence doesn’t always come through words. Sometimes we just need to be still enough to notice.

Let God Alone Define You

Ever have someone’s words get stuck in your head?
Maybe they criticized you, misunderstood you, or told a story about you that doesn’t feel true. And before long, you’re holding a courtroom in your mind—defending yourself, replaying the conversation, wondering if maybe they’re right.

There’s another way.

Bring it into the quiet with God.

Ask: Is there something here I need to learn? Is there something I need to own? And what was never mine to carry in the first place?

We can stay humble enough to receive the truth without letting someone else’s opinion become our identity.

Because in the end, God alone defines you.

« Older Entries