The power of doubt
The thing that holds us back more than anything (that our egos don't want to admit)...
Doubt
I used to think doubting myself was a sign of weakness. My mind would torment me "you don't have the right experience or skills or [insert excuse] to be successful."
My mind was right. I took the safe path early in my career and as a result was living in mom's basement, licking my wounds from being unemployed, ready to give up on myself.
I was a massive underachiever for years. Looking at myself in the mirror was hard A.F. I was afraid to put myself out there. I was afraid to fail. I was afraid of being judged. The doubt was crippling.
This was long before the mindset gurus came along preaching "you gotta get comfortable being uncomfortable". I let the doubt convince me I just wasn't good enough to be successful.
The thing that changed me was having a new and powerful WHY which came from having a family.
When it was no longer about me and my fragile ego. When it was about my wife and kids well-being and happiness. That's when everything changed. After years of feeling like a failure, I finally had enough. I was tired of the doubt and fear dictating the trajectory of my life. I was not going to fail my wife and children. No effing way!
So I started to re-wire my thinking and exorcise my demons of doubt. The way I did it was simply to turn around, stop running and face the demons head on. Pretty simple, but wicked (sorry I'm a Boston guy) hard to do in practice. Being honest with myself and admitting that everything was my fault and based on the decisions I made, gave me the power to make new choices and turn my life completely around.
Choosing (funny how it was a choice all along) to take action - even when I doubted myself, even when I could fail, even when I might stumble - was the difference maker. This shift allowed me to reframe my doubts and fears as ingredients to my recipe for growth.
Today when I experience doubt (like right now writing this post), I know it's part of the process.
Three things that worked for me and might work for you:
- Remember that doubt is a sign of growth - not a weakness
- Give yourself credit as you lean into your fears - even the smallest of wins should be celebrated
- Reframe fear and doubt - use it as a trigger to get you into action mode
Bottom line is this... Doing scary sh*t is the only way we grow so just keep going.
💪
Thank you to the mentors and coaches for inspiring me to help shine a light on the topic of Mental Health in sales and play a small part during Mental Health Awareness month.