Importance of Doubt
Stanley Tucci, a popular actor, director, and writer, commented about his memoir. An interviewer asked him what it was like to write.
Tucci said, “It goes through those phases where you go, Why am I writing this? I have nothing to say, this is the most boring book anyone will ever read. And then suddenly you read it and go, Oh, that’s not bad. The same thing happens with screenplays, or when you’re directing or acting. The doubt is really important.”
His comment merits some attention, “The doubt is really important.”
Conventional thinking insists that we work to extinguish doubt wherever it lurks. We are told to stoke the fires of confidence, psych ourselves up, visualize success, and push those sabotaging voices that whisper defeat out of our minds. In this context, the anatomy of our doubt is fear. It can distract us putting our focus on perceived uncertainty and gaps when we compare ourselves to any other given point of reference.
In contrast to conventional thinking, I’d suggest that doubt is incredibly NORMAL. None of us are alone when it comes to doubting. It’s incredibly human. Often, the most accomplished among us have the greatest struggle with doubt, precisely because we are trying to do even more. The bigger the attempt at doing something new and challenging, the larger the doubt.
There is good news if you experience doubt creating drag on your forward movement, energy level or general ability to have a positive outlook.
Doubt is an important piece to setting ourselves up for success. Your doubt is a key factor in your growth and can drive you in a positive direction.
Doubt can motivate, improve, encourage, change, generate, and experiment.
Where can doubt be working for you instead of against you?
Doubt can help us become better at what we are doing.
Embrace doubt and do not let it intimidate you into less and use it to fuel your movement forward.
Finally, be patient and realistic with yourself. Personal growth often comes from connecting your experiences with your beliefs.
Doubt is less a problem to shake off and more of a muscle that needs to be stretched, used, and exercised to work to our advantage. When you engage and work with your own doubt, you have an opportunity to become stronger and more capable of doing the great things that are yours to do.
