I thought about starting this blog for about two years. Then I finally did it, and posted my first post.
At first, it was encouraging to see other bloggers follow me, and friends commenting. This was going to be fun. But as the day went on, and as nighttime creeped in, seeds of doubt started to germinate in my mind.
Was I crazy? What do I know about happiness? And who is really going to care one iota about my stupid blog?
Doubt is an interesting emotion. On the one hand, it’s good to doubt ourselves. The world would be
a pretty obnoxious, arrogant place if we didn’t. On the other hand, doubt can seep into your consciousness and eat away at your confidence, causing you to question yourself, your abilities and everything you believe in. Doubt is insidious. I actually think the word is spelled wrong. It should be a four letter word (what purpose does the “b” serve anyway)? It serves no purpose, just like the emotion itself. It’s negative, destructive, and the biggest buzzkill around.
This week’s Happy Act is to crush the seeds of doubt the next time you find yourself questioning your abilities. Make it a physical act. Write the word doubt on a piece of paper, crumple it up and throw it in the recycler. If you’re chewing gum, chew up your doubt and spit it out. Crush the seeds of doubt and revel in newfound confidence. Leave a comment: what do you doubt about yourself?
Happy Act 
Often people looked to me as an “expert” when I knew I was actually flying by the seat of my pants. I wish I would have appreciated what I DID know, rather than fret about what I DID NOT know. It was an opportunity to keep learning, rather than feeling like a failure.
I can relate to this!! So true!!!
More than 10 years ago now I had a student in my Kindergarten class, and again the next year in grade 1. This kid was a cutie; she had the brightest smile and attitude – the kind of kid who is a joy to teach. I remember her saying to the other kids one time “Believe in yourself; you can do it!” I have never forgotten that and I often share that saying with classes of students I work with now. To me, this saying is a great way to crush the seeds of doubt and it works for kids and adults alike.
Please wish me luck on Tuesday. I doubt we’ll win all 4 games at our volleyball tournament. I’ll try not to doubt but it’s pretty obvious.
Great post! This reminds me of the quote (attributed to Henry Ford) “whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t – you’re right”.
Great comments everyone, and I love that quote Bob. In the kids’ school newsletter, they had a great little tip this month–to think of the word FAIL as “First Attempt at Learning”. I will say this about doubt, and Lorna I think you will be able to relate based on your comment. As I get older, I find myself doubting myself less in my personal life, and more in my career, even though I have 20 years of experience at what I do. Maybe it’s just a natural extension of getting older and knowing there’s more things I don’t know than I do know. What do you guys think?
Doubt is a powerful emotion but I have often found it stems from a genuine place, even if it grows out of proportion.
When I was writing my first novel I would often re-write entire chapters because I didn’t believe they were good enough. I’d get stuck in an infinite loop of editing and re-editing because I would obsess over some tiny detail. It took me a long time to understand I was finding excuses, I didn’t want the book to be ready because then I would have to release it and other people would be able to read it (eek!) and tell me what they thought about it (double eek!)
Once I had figured out the source of the doubt I found the words came easier. The doubt served it’s purpose, the book is better because I doubted myself. It can be a strangely positive emotion if you can learn to harness it. Of course that’s easier said than done, my second novel is now in its 6th draft…