Self-Doubt and DNA

During a conversation with a friend, I commented that "doubting ourselves is part of our DNA."

Doubting ourselves is part of our DNA.

And I have not been able to let that go.

Why? Because there’s so much to think about.

First, doubting myself, or at least being in that moment when I stop to think, "What's going on here?" is a moment of reflection. Not necessarily bad. So, maybe what we need to do is separate "doubting ourselves" from "healthy reflection."

Second, true self doubt, and having thoughts like, “Who am I to think I can? I am not X enough. I don’t deserve to succeed. I'll never get it, so why even try?” is a very different behavior.

It took me years to be able to reprogram my self-doubt. And I believe, other than analyzing "how is this serving me," the next step was understanding that there is safety in stopping yourself before trying. Why? Well, if you never try, you never fail.

Think about it. There is no risk in not trying.

Think about it. There is no risk in not trying.

And yes, this is a Judo thing. In Judo we teach that if you never get on the mat and into the fight, you don't "not win." You lose.

And if you look at it through an entrepreneur's experience, we know that the majority of ideas fail.

So, how do we measure success? A person who gets it right on their first try? Or the one who doesn't give up until they do? Or even, the person who never ever gives up, even if they never succeed according to community standards, but find their passion and worth in their "doing? And possibly create their expertise through failure?

Human experience is complex.

How do you define success? And how do you turn the volume down on your self-doubt?