The self-doubt thief

Some time ago now (very thankfully!), I experienced on a daily basis an inner struggle between what the ‘experts’ said and what I felt I needed to do.  Too often, I’d chose the experts over myself, and every time I’d discover I had been wrong to choose them over me.

I’d often end up succeeding in what I did, but at a huge cost. Too often, I’d end up failing, also at a huge cost. The cost in both cases was a growing self-doubt that ate me up inside and kept me in a chronically anxious state.

Here’s a real example: I had a chance to become an assistant VP at a large well-known firm. There was something about it that didn’t feel right. But, other than being lured by the title, I let a friend who I felt knew this world better than me talk me into it. You guessed it! It was a disaster in more ways than a few. It was a disaster mostly because I didn’t listen to my screaming gut but to someone I gave more credit to than my own knowledge and experience.

Here’s another example of what happened after I’d finally learned the lesson of self-doubt: I’m getting ready to do a series of YouTube videos on women who like to work, want to work, and end up burning out because they are to stressed and don’t need to be; in other words, women like me! I’m working with a great guy who is helping me set things up and who knows a lot about making videos.

He gave me some advice on making this series that is tried and true, but for some reason, didn’t feel right for me. I tried it because he is an expert, after all, and discovered a few things – first, that it was a struggle to put words to paper, and second that the end result wasn’t at all inspiring – at least to me. So, I scrapped everything he suggested and began again. That morning, I’d completed the first set of drafts. I felt really great with the result, and as it happens, others feel the same. They’re original; they’re creative; and they’re authentic.

Self-doubt robs us of our strength and creativity. It wears us out and leaves us with very little. The way to regaining your energy and vitality is to find a way to rid yourself of inner doubt. If you want to know how, stay tuned for my new and upcoming Video series scheduled for next month. I’ll let you know when it’s ready.

 

Quote of the Week

“Our doubts are traitors,
and make us lose the good we oft might win,
by fearing to attempt.”

– William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure 

 

Freedom from self-doubt