Learning to work and walk through self doubt

Lydia·Feb 03, 2021

Posted in:Personal Growth Productivity Career Growth

In the last year I moved out of my comfort zone to handle content writing projects in niche industries I never heard of or had any interest in before I was hired - eSports, Supply Chain and more. Before every project, I've been plagued with second-guessing questions like Is this good enough? Will the client be happy with this? Will my manager like this work?An intention to be more time-conscious made me more aware of how much I procrastinate getting things done because of the feeling that I won't get it right. I also noticed that whenever I eventually ignored the doubt and started writing - it didn't magically become easier but I always regretted not starting out earlier.Self doubt steals your time. When you look at it closely, you'd see that the time spent thinking you are not good enough would have been better allocated to 📌Upskilling if it's really true that you can't do it. Take a professional course in the field.📌 Researching how others have done it. Thank you Google + YouTube.📌Asking someone (colleagues, boss, mentor) for help.📌Getting the first (often shitty) version done so you can get the corrections and move on fast.I spent a long time trying to learn how to to overcome impostor syndrome, now I'm learning to live with it and navigate through it. If I'm worried my work isn't good enough for magazine, I go ahead and research what they've previously published, craft the best possible pitch I can and email it anyway. If I get a no, I sulk over it, take the feedback I received and refine what I already did. I might also pitch it somewhere else because maybe it's just not a good fit. Frankly, it got boring at a point to keep seeing work out there that I knew I was equipped to do and wishing that it was my name on the byline. The goal is to keep moving while improving.What are the ways you overcome self-doubt when you are struggling?

HannahBaldovino·Feb 03, 2021

Love this!! Thanks so much for sharing, Lydia. I just read this great book "Everything is figureoutable" by Marie Forleo and it talks a lot about these thoughts. I often get stuck into thinking, "Well, I'm not good at this so I won't do it" rather than "How can i get good at this" that shift is SO powerful. This year I'm really trying to remind myself, "Progress not perfection"

Lydia·Feb 04, 2021

Thanks for the reccomendation, I'll add it to my list. "Progress not perfection" I love that as a mantra.

susanfung·Feb 03, 2021

I agree with @HannahBaldovino. It’s about progress not perfection.I’m still not a software developer by profession, but I am developing a time tracking / employee scheduler web app in React at my current job as a Payroll Administrator. I have very little coding experience but this project is definitely helping me build those skills. I still have doubts that my code is not good enough but I do research, talk to people & learn as much as I can to make it better.

Lydia·Feb 04, 2021

Yesss! The more you practice, you get better at the skill. Thanks for reading and engaging.

korilinn·Feb 03, 2021

YESSSS. I love this so much. As a career coach, this is exactly the kind of thing I work on with my own clients. (And as a business owner, this is exactly the kind of thing I get coached on by my own coaches.) Worrying that we're not good enough keeps us from trying, keeps us from learning, AND also keeps us from seeing that often, what we can already do is actually pretty dang good. Even if we do need to upskill, trying can show us where exactly we need to do that upskilling. But what I often see again and again is that we're better than we thought we were, and that we can add value now, even if we also want to keep leveling up. So glad you wrote this. And for anyone who wants more resources, this is exactly the kind of thing I discuss and teach about on my podcast, which you can find here: https://www.korilinn.com/podcastI've got episodes on imposter syndrome, getting critical feedback, perfectionism, and more.

Lydia·Feb 04, 2021

I will definitely be checking out your podcast. Thanks so much for reading and engaging.

LouiseH·Feb 04, 2021

Such an important conversation Lydia and thank you for sharing your thoughts with us. The self-sabotaging tendencies of self-doubt are real. Alongside your and others' great shares, I also believe it to be valuable to ask ourselves 'Did I do my best work?' after every project delivered or a content piece written. Building in the time for self-reflection gives us the opportunity to celebrate our wins and a chance to focus our attention on what we want to improve (through courses, practice, etc.). All while building confidence in the process. My mantra: Confidence is not a requirement, it's the result. Lx

DianePrince·Feb 04, 2021

Hi Lydia, a tool that I use to deal with self-doubt is called "Two truths."The way it works is 1st accept that you feel self-doubt. Take the time to observe and acknowledge that feeling. That is one of your truths.AND, also at the same time you take the next actions on your business. This is another truth for you. For example, try saying to yourself, This is me being plagued with self-doubt AND this is also me getting the first draft done, while I'm feeling self-doubt. I'm a total believer in progress not perfection! Getting good with living in grey areas, even though it's uncomfortable at first, helps to stop the black and white thinking that paralyzes productivity. Please let me know if you have questions about this.

Suzy·Feb 05, 2021

Love hearing about your experience, Lydia! I'm in the position right now where I'm taking on responsibilities that I've long dreamed about but now that I'm here, I am terrified and often paralyzed by the desire to be near perfect...at something I've never done! "Getting the first (often shitty) version done so you can get the corrections and move on fast" is sage advice that will hopefully help me today and in the next few days as I try to make progress.

jordansale·Feb 06, 2021

I love this all so much - thank you for sharing + getting the conversation going @lydiaume I was recently anxious about something and venting to a friend and she asked me "How would you feel about all if this if you were in a secure place right now?"I thought it was pretty transformative. If I was in a secure place, I would've felt way calmer and more confident that things were going to work themselves out. It helped me take a step back and realize that, in part, I was choosing a mindset I didn't need to.I feel like that question can also be applied to work - especially when there's a project you're nervous about or feel unsure of.