Do you ever doubt yourself? Doubt is a powerful force in my life. But where does doubt come from?
Take this scenario:
The Winner
Ever met the person who seems to have it all under control – the real “winner”? When you get to know them, really know them, you often find a great deal of doubt underneath. They are not sure of themselves – any more than I am! I remember having the CTO of a major US company speaking at one of our IEM seminars. He said “everyday when I look in the mirror I think ‘today is the day I will be found out.'” He, the well known expert, knew at any day he would be shown to be the fool.
Who is in Your Mirror?
When you look in the mirror, do you see what the CTO saw? Do you think “I will be found to be a fraud”? Or do you think it is no use because:
- no one will want to hear what I have to say,
- I cannot do that.
- I do not have the skills.
- I am not ready yet.
Where does Doubt Come From?
I was wondering this morning where doubt comes from? Why do we doubt? I mean I do not doubt when I am driving down the road that I am not going to be able to drive. I do not doubt when I go into a meeting I have done 100 times before. I do not doubt many things I have done before.
But what I do doubt is doing something new. Or I often doubt putting myself out there – like submitting a blog post!
How to Counter Doubt
So what do we do with doubt? Here is what seems to work for me – at least today…
– Remember others have done it – and they are no better than me!
– Remember that even in failure we learn a great deal – and we can find new paths. Think about all of Edison’s failures.
– Remember that I do not want to be ordinary!
But more important – take action. Even against the grain, even when I must force myself – just plow on. Nothing kills doubt for me like action!
"Just Keep Swimming!"
What works for you? How do you conquer doubt?
Good stuff Dale!
G