Latest / LIVING WITHOUT FEAR / 143. Living Without Fear - Why You Keep Questioning Yourself — And How to Stop | With Esther Buerki
Transcript
- 0:00There was a time in my life when I questioned myself far less.
- 0:06Back then I was employed. I was a journalist, a
- 0:10communication specialist, I had a title, a structure, a clear
- 0:16role. And then I became self-employed,
- 0:21and suddenly the questions got louder.
- 0:26Hello, beautiful soul. I'm Esther, your host, speaking
- 0:32to you from Switzerland. And today I want to talk about
- 0:37something so many of us live with quietly, this constant
- 0:43questioning of ourselves. Do you know that feeling, that
- 0:48inner voice asking, am I doing the right thing?
- 0:53Shouldn't I be further by now? Why does this still feel hard
- 1:01sometimes? We question ourselves so often
- 1:05that we get tired of our own thoughts.
- 1:10Not because we are weak, but because we care.
- 1:16Some years ago, I wanted to create an online course and I
- 1:22thought about the topic for a long time.
- 1:27Too long maybe. Then I finally created it and
- 1:33had to promote it. Something inside me got
- 1:37exhausted and then a deeper question showed up.
- 1:44Should I continue coaching people who want to write books
- 1:50or should I work with people on their mindset?
- 1:56Because here's what I realised. If someone doesn't have the
- 2:01mindset to move through challenging times, they won't
- 2:07finish their book. They'll doubt every word, every
- 2:13step, every decision. So I made a decision, I choose
- 2:20to to become a mindset coach to help people release anxiety and
- 2:26fear, to help them move towards their dreams with steadiness and
- 2:34trust. And honestly, this is what I am
- 2:38up to now, heartfully and happily.
- 2:43And yet, even now, there are days when I catch myself
- 2:49questioning again. And this is the heart of today's
- 2:55episode. Asking questions is not wrong,
- 3:01but the quality of the questions matter.
- 3:07There are questions that empower us, and there are questions that
- 3:14slowly drain our energy. For example, if you've already
- 3:20made a decision, asking yourself again and again, why am I even
- 3:28doing this? It's not a very intelligent
- 3:32question. It pulls you backward.
- 3:37A more powerful question will be how can I make today successful
- 3:43with the decision I already made?
- 3:47Or how can I enjoy this process more?
- 3:53Feel the difference. One question tightens your
- 3:57chest, the other opens it. For many years I was focused
- 4:06almost only on the result, the end call, the destination.
- 4:12I'd wake up in the morning and ask myself, why am I still
- 4:19struggling? Why am I not there yet?
- 4:25And without realizing it, I was putting myself into a state of
- 4:31pressure and self blame before the day had even begun.
- 4:37So let me ask you this gently. Are your doubts coming from
- 4:44intelligent questions? Or are they part of an old game
- 4:51you play with yourself, asking the wrong questions and then
- 4:56punishing yourself for the answers?
- 5:00For decades, I lived in that vicious circle, and I couldn't
- 5:07see it. Working with a Tony Robbins
- 5:11coach helped me understand this deeply, not by changing my
- 5:17goals, but by changing my questions.
- 5:23Another big shift for me was releasing FOMO, the fear of
- 5:29missing out. Everywhere I looked, there were
- 5:34three webinars, programs, promises, make money faster, get
- 5:41more clients, be more visible. And I felt stressed, as if I had
- 5:49to catch everything, as if missing one opportunity meant
- 5:55failing. I listened to many thought
- 6:00leaders. I gathered information.
- 6:04But instead of clarity, I felt scattered.
- 6:10I lost my focus. I lost myself in the details.
- 6:16Do you know that feeling? Today, those offers still appear
- 6:23in my feet. But now I pause and I ask myself
- 6:29a different question. Does this support my bigger
- 6:34purpose? Does this strengthen my focus or
- 6:39steal my energy? Sometimes the answer comes
- 6:45quickly, sometimes it needs silence.
- 6:50But I choose the answer that brings peace, not fear.
- 6:58And this is one of my biggest recommendations for you.
- 7:03Name the fear. When you recognise formal as
- 7:08formal, it already loses power. Awareness gives your power back
- 7:16to you. Here are a few more gentle
- 7:21practices that help me, and maybe they'll help you to start
- 7:29your day with 1 grounded intention, not ten goals.
- 7:36Measure progress by presence, not productivity.
- 7:42Celebrate consistency, not perfection.
- 7:47And when you doubt shows up, ask Is this question helping me move
- 7:55forward or holding me back? You don't need to eliminate
- 8:02doubt, you need to lead it. And remember this, you're not
- 8:10behind, you are not broken. You are becoming.
- 8:16Sometimes clarity doesn't come from thinking more, but from
- 8:23trusting what you already know in your body.
- 8:28And if you feel like you'd love support on that journey, Ioffer
- 8:35free coaching sessions. A safe space to entangle doubts,
- 8:41soften fear, and reconnect with your direction.
- 8:47You'll find the link in the show notes.
- 8:51Thank you for being here. Thank you for listening with
- 8:56your heart. New episodes are released every
- 9:01Thursday and until then, be gentle with yourself.
- 9:08You are already on your way. Yeah.