You Don’t Have to Doubt Yourself Anymore (and Here’s Why)

Have you ever been decided to buy a house, move to a new city, start a business, or make some other life-changing decision only to end up wondering if you did the right thing?
I’ve had that happen to me more times than I can count.
Being a writer means you’re in for your share of ups and downs because writing is subjective. Ten people can read something I’ve written and have ten different opinions. Some may think it’s pretty good, others may think it stinks. Then there are those who might think it’s the best thing they’ve ever read (okay, call me an optimist).
But writing something a lot of people will like isn’t the hardest part of being a writer — it’s overcoming the doubt in my head.
Though I believe being a writer is part of God’s plan for me, there are plenty of times when I wonder if I’m doing the right thing.
If you doubt yourself enough — especially when you aren’t seeing the results you expect — you’ll end up thinking you took a wrong turn somewhere.
Next stop — Quit City.
So, how do you move past doubt and feel good about the decision you made?
Let me take a moment to be honest with you. Don’t think it’s ever going to be easy. I still doubt things all the time, but I work through it much quicker than I did before. I remain much more confident in my decisions these days, and I sleep much better too.
Now, I’ll tell you what I do — and it works.
First, I pray about it. I ask God to give me confirmation that I’m heading in the right direction (it’s called peace), and an uneasy feeling if I’m not.
Then, I talk it over with at least two people I trust. If I get a good feeling from them, I’m probably doing the right thing.
A couple of warnings: Don’t talk to too many people. More than a few opinions will only make things more complicated. And don’t ignore what they say if it isn’t what you want to hear. You’ll regret it if you do.
After that, I think about similar experiences. I reflect on anything from the past that may apply to the decision I’m trying to make. What did I learn from those times?
Now, for the final step…I do a gut check. If I’ve been praying through the process, that means I’m trusting that God is going to show me what I’m missing, and that He’ll give me a feeling of peace if I’m going the right way.
When you’ve done these things, pull the trigger and don’t look back. When doubt creeps in — and it will — you’ll be able stare it down with confidence because you did the right things before you made the choice.
