Have you ever felt like you know so much about your subject matter, but at the same time you don’t know enough? And that not knowing makes you doubt yourself. I mean there is always someone who knows more than you, right? When in these situations, it is so easy to spiral into the negative self-doubt talk, which can start as simple as, this person know’s more than me about x, before long that turns into I’m not intelligent, pretty, thin, strong (insert your word here) enough, and we loose our will and determination to keep going. Self-doubt takes over.
We doubt ourselves, why? Well one reason is that as humans we have a predisposition to negativity, we are 10 times more likely to see, and remember the bad things versus that good and positive things in our life.
But what about those people you admire? What do they do or have that is different?
After observing people who are successful (an not just in a monetary sense) in their job or field, I think one key factor is at play.
They believe in their mission.
Mission might feel like a strong word, but it’s true. They believe that what they do will make some sort of difference. They will change the world in some way. They could be a hairdresser/fashion designer trying to make people look/feel good, they teach, because they believe that knowledge is vital and their subject matter is important. Think about people you know who are successful, it’s highly likely they believe in what they do, and that belief most likely translates into self-belief.
It’s not to say that these people don’t ever have moments of self-doubt, but they believe in what they are trying to achieve, and that brings clarity and focus. So much so that it overrides and outweighs that negatively bias, because they need to share this mission with everyone.
So, what do you want to do? What is important to you?