Anytime we venture towards something new many emotions can follow, excitement, confidence, fear, or doubt. Recently I have embarked on a new adventure. Inspiration hit hard and excitement flooded in, then doubt sauntered through sitting down, making itself comfortable. How is it that something I was completely excited about is now something that I doubt. And how did it happen so quickly after inspiration hit? Ego is the culprit, trying to keep me safe from the unknown. “Why try something new, when we are so good at what we know.” I am fully aware this feeling of doubt must be overcome in order to be successful, but how?
Doubt is defined as being uncertain about, consider questionable or unlikely, or hesitate to believe. It falls within the bucket of fear emotions. Fear of failure, being ridiculed, feeling worthless, or inferior. Who would want to feel any of these emotions? No one, and most people would do anything to not put themselves into a situation to experience them. But to grow doubt must be overcome. Moving through fear and doubt and getting to the other side opens so many more doors in life.
What is the path to confidence? Well, you can’t get there from here. The first stop on this route is courage. That may sound like a pretty big step to take, but it doesn’t have to be. Courage is the ability to face fear or danger or to do what you believe is right even when it is difficult. Per the definition the action is to face the fear, not overcome it. Taking small actions of courage is what is being called for. Literally putting one foot in front of the other, one step at a time. The journey is made easier by understanding the why or purpose for the journey in the first place. Then being focused on each step and nothing more.
After each step it’s time to assess what has been accomplished. Celebrating the small wins or learning from the failures. In the big picture wins or failures do not matter, it’s the action of taking the step that is truly important. Muscle memory is being built with each step, the muscle memory needed to face fear and doubt again and again. Eventually there is a realization that progress is being made, and you are still alive to see it.
Confidence is defined as feeling sure of yourself and your abilities. Unsuspectingly overtime and after taking many steps, confidence is gained. A realization hits that the next step isn’t as scary as before. Fear may even be replaced with excitement. Confidence is the goal, but it is the journey of courage that makes the goal worthwhile.
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