Overcoming perfectionism and self-doubt: My Journey to Start a Blog!

As a therapist and PhD student who works with social workers and psychotherapists, I spend my days helping others overcome their mindset barriers. My clients often deal with fear of failure, perfectionism, self-doubt, and an inner critic that feels impossible to silence.

The irony? Despite publishing a peer-reviewed journal article this year, I’ve faced my own intense mindset blocks when it comes to starting this blog. It’s taken me years to finally work up the courage to start writing a blog.

I’ve feared that what I write won’t be good enough, that it will be criticized, or that simply no one will care.

This mindset block isn’t uncommon for people in our profession. Many of us are used to being the “experts,” yet we struggle to apply the same compassion and mindset shifts to ourselves.

The fear of vulnerability can hold us back, especially when it involves putting our thoughts out into the world for others to judge. That was my struggle.

For years, I convinced myself that I wasn’t ready, that I needed to learn more (hello “procrasta-learning”), or that I had to wait until I had the “perfect” idea. In reality, it was fear and self-doubt, not lack of readiness, that kept me stuck.

But here’s the thing—I realized that if I kept waiting for perfection, I’d never get started. I couldn’t authentically help others push through their mindset blocks while allowing mine to hold me back.

So, in true “in the trenches” fashion, I decided to share this journey with you honestly. I’m not speaking from a place of having it all figured out, but from a place of learning, growing, and challenging myself to do the very thing I’ve been avoiding.

Here are three tips that helped me finally act and start this blog:

1. Embrace Imperfect Action and Start Small

   Waiting for perfection is a trap. I had to remind myself that no blog post will ever be perfect but taking “imperfect action” is better than taking no action at all. Starting small, turning the audio from a video I had recorded for Instagram and turning the transcript into a blog post allowed me to take that first (terrifying) small step forward. Adopting a growth mindset means accepting that we’re all learning along the way.

   
   

2. Focus on Your Why

   Why did I want to start a blog in the first place? It wasn’t for validation or to meet some impossible standard; it was because I wanted to share my expertise and personal experience to try and help even one person. Shifting my focus from external validation and approval helped me ignore the fear of judgment long enough to hit “publish”.

   
   

3. Challenge Negative Thinking

   My inner critic whispered thoughts like “I’m not good enough” or “It’s not perfect yet.” I had to actively challenge these beliefs. The truth is, I don’t have to be perfect - I have valuable knowledge to share. And so do you. Learning to let those negative thoughts float around as “horrible opinions” without giving them any power was a key to being able to focus on just doing what I wanted to do.

   
   

Remember “Progress Over Perfection”!

We are always learning and growing, and the only way to learn and grow is to create something in the first place. You can’t refine or improve what you haven’t started. So, if you’ve been stuck in a mindset block like I was, ask yourself: Are you ready to take that first step?

I’m here, in the trenches, taking mine. Will you join me?

This stuff is hard and there is no shame in asking for help. If you want to overcome your self-doubt, fears and mindset blocks, book a free 15 minute consult to learn how I can help you get started!