How do you deal with self-doubt?

I was thinking about this today.

I know, cognitively, that the scripts that interpret my emotions into feelings are faulty. I have absolutely no doubt about that yet I can't stop my brain from using them, I can't stop the feelings it produces.

What I can do is remind myself of the flawed narrative, remind myself of the healthy script and trust that every time I fight that monster it gets a little weaker and I get a little stronger. Now that may sound like a fluffy platitude but it isn't because our brain recycles. If you don't use a neural pathway your brain breaks it down eventually. Every time you use the new script it becomes stronger, clearer and more direct; it will eventually become the preferred route.

When I get tired of having to fight I remind myself how far I've come and let myself just sit for a bit before getting on with it again.

Something Seth Godin talks about in one of his books is not focusing on people who don’t like what you have to say but focusing on all of the people that love your work. 

It was specifically about how he found himself gravitating to the 1 negative review for every 300 positive ones. One day he realized that he didn’t write his book for that person, he wrote it for the 300 people who loved it. 

What that does is makes it so you can say, “I didn’t make this for you. I didn’t write this post for you. You are not the person I am trying to reach.”

There is freedom in focusing on serving a specific group of people you know you can serve best and not caring about what the rest of the world thinks.