Let’s talk about what your self-doubt is really doing.

It’s not just a harmless little voice keeping you from taking risks or stepping into your full potential. It’s working overtime, making sure you second-guess your ideas, hesitate before speaking up, and stay right where you are. And while you’re stuck in that cycle, someone else is benefitting.

Think about it—when you don’t trust yourself, who do you turn to instead? The so-called experts. The authority figures. The people who have been more than happy to shape your decisions, define your worth, and keep you looking outside yourself for validation. Parents, teachers, bosses, industry gatekeepers— even brands and social media influencers thrive off of you believing you need someone else’s approval before you can move forward.

Your self-doubt makes you easier to control. Easier to sell to. Easier to keep small.

And while it’s working in their favor, it’s robbing you. It steals your ideas before they ever see the light of day. It takes your confidence and replaces it with hesitation. It turns your creative instincts—your magic—into something you no longer recognize, let alone trust.

But here’s what I want you to hear louder than anything else: self-doubt is a thief, and it’s robbing you blind.