Have you ever seen doubt get between you and what you want?
When I googled the word “Doubt” Wikipedia offered the following 3 examples that I would like to unpack and ask you to look to see where this shows up in your life.
1. Doubt is a mental state in which the mind remains suspended between two or more contradictory propositions, unable to be certain of any of them.
- I see it as wrestling with an either-or question like; Should I or shouldn’t I?
- Should I go for it?
- Should I invest in this?
- Should I speak my mind, or shouldn’t I?
- Sound familiar? Decisions, decisions!
2. Doubt on an emotional level is indecision between belief and disbelief. It may involve uncertainty, distrust, or lack of conviction on certain facts, actions, motives, or decisions.
- I feel uncomfortable, maybe I’m not ready.
- Do I have what it takes?
- Am I really the one to do this?
- I’m not sure I have what is needed.
- I’m not confident that I can do this.
Emotionally it can put you in a circular loop of spinning round and round, like when you try to download a big file.
3. Doubt can result in delaying or rejecting relevant action out of concern for mistakes or missed opportunities. This example causes us to delay, hesitate, and second guess ourselves worrying about:
- What if I fail?
- What if I do it wrong?
- What if I’m misunderstood?
- What will they think of me?
- What if I make the wrong decision?
- What if I act too soon?
I’ve personally wasted more time and energy in this version of doubt. What about you? Which form of doubt do you most see?