Dare to Doubt Yourself

Usually, I’m against any kind of self-doubt, but in this week’s episode of the podcast, I’m inviting you to dare to doubt yourself. To question what you think about yourself and the conclusions you’ve drawn about yourself. 

I want you to doubt not who you are or what you’re capable of, but who you think you are and what you think you’re capable of. 

The feeling you get when you accomplish something you had no idea that you could do is amazing. And I used to believe that it felt so good because in that moment of victory, you became certain of something that you had doubted. 

Now I wonder if it’s actually the opposite. Maybe an achievement like finishing the 29029 endurance event feels so powerful because it caused me to doubt something that I had been certain about.

I was certain that I wasn’t strong enough, that I didn’t have the endurance, that I couldn’t handle the pain and challenge of it. But I did it.

When we doubt and question these limiting beliefs and learn that we are not who we thought we were, it makes us wonder… What else could I be wrong about?

Today, I want to invite you to doubt what you think is true about you. 

Doubt leads to growth

In the episode, I talk about an interview I heard with English physicist, Brian Cox. He shared that doubt is an important part of the scientific process.

If we think we know everything, there is no exploration, no wonder, no awe. 

If you think you know everything, you will not make progress or deepen your understanding.

What you believe about yourself right now is all imagination, a collection of made up thoughts that you’ve decided to believe. And we have a limited amount of information to guide those decisions.

When you think of yourself as an eternal being, you are still in the very beginning of your existence. There is so much more for you to learn. 

Dare to doubt your conclusions

Doubt your horizons

When you look out at the horizon, it looks like you can see the edge of the world. But it is really only the edge of what you can see from where you are standing. 

If you walk toward it, you never arrive, never reach the edge. There is always more beyond you. The horizon is only an illusion.

The same goes for the story you have about yourself. There is a horizon that marks who you are and what you’re capable of. It looks like an endpoint, but as you start to take steps toward it, your horizon moves. The edge of your capacity continues to expand.

Why do you want to be right about this?

Why are you holding on to this story? What is it giving you? 

So many times, we hold onto stories about ourselves that we don’t like just because they feel known and safe. 

Certainty feels safer to your brain. It wants to be right. It's trying to predict what’s coming, what to expect and what is certain in a completely uncertain situation (aka life).

These stories are not facts. They are also an illusion, and they’re keeping you stuck and limiting what is possible for you.

What do you wish was wrong about you?

If you could pick anything that you were wrong about, that you could doubt and make it untrue, what would you want to be different? 

This is a great place to start with doubting your conclusions about yourself. You don’t have the full picture. You are allowed to think anything you want about yourself. 

So when you wish you were wrong about something, I invite you to practice thinking the opposite. Believe you already are the thing you want to be and start looking for evidence.

Be willing to look foolish

When you decide to do or be something new, your brain is going to be so scared of looking stupid, being embarrassed or disappointed, failing and looking like a beginner. 

And that fear keeps us from so many things. 

If we can eliminate our shame about being a beginner or not knowing how to do something and instead invite the spirit of adventure, discovery and the pleasure of finding things out into our lives, it is so much easier to expand what is possible for us.

What if you just get to enjoy finding out about yourself, finding out what's possible for you and finding out what you enjoy?

Don’t give up

When you get brave enough to start, don’t stop.

So many times, we give up before we give ourselves a real chance to create something new. 

Sure, you don't know how it’s going to turn out, but have the faith to believe in the possibility of what can be. Your brain will tell you you’ve never done it before, that you have no business trying. But if you just don’t stop, it will get done.

This is all that separates us from people who create what they want. First daring to believe something new about themselves, and then not giving up or stopping.

You only think you know what is true about you. Allow yourself to be wrong about what you think is possible. Dare to doubt your brain’s conclusions about yourself. 

You’ll Learn:

• Why doubt is important
• How doubting your beliefs builds confidence in yourself
• 5 ways to doubt what you believe about yourself and your capabilities

Previous Episodes: 

• Episode 201: Identity Shifts