When is doubt a good thing?

One of the main issues that stop me and many of my clients is self-doubt. It makes us hesitate and freeze because we question ourselves. It depletes energy and motivation. It’s, frankly, a killer.

I spend a lot of my personal and professional time developing confidence and helping others develop confidence, which is the opposite of self-doubt. Confidence provides energy and motivation. It probably floods our bodies with dopamine. It’s feeds life.

The key to lasting self-confidence begins with self-trust, and self-trust begins with knowing and trusting our gut. Not an easy thing to re-learn. I do mean re-learn, because we all have it in abundance when we’re babies, then loose it – bit by bit – as we run into obstacle after obstacle whenever we obey what others bigger than us want of us instead of listening to our own gut. I’m not parent-bashing here – parents ended up in self-doubt the same way. Self-doubt is multi-generational.

Having said all that, there are some times when doubt is a good thing: when we’re told a story that’s too good to be true – we may really want it to be true, but our gut is saying otherwise. Or when we get offered a job that looks great on paper, but there’s something about it that doesn’t sit right – with our gut. In other words, it’s our gut that gives us the confidence we need to live well, and our gut that tells us when to hold back and do more checking. When doubt is a good thing, it definitely is not self-doubt.

The gut is sometimes called our second brain. It doesn’t provide thoughts or ideas but it does accumulate experiences and learnings that are invaluable to us going forward.

It’s so empowering when we learn to trust what we feel.

Quote of the Week

“The greatest thing in the world is to know how to belong to oneself."- Michel de Montaigne 

The gospel of doubt 

Invitation

I hope you enjoyed this article. When you’re ready to take the next step on your life journey, book a free 20 min consultation with me.