No, you are not confused.

When I first started questioning myself regarding where I want my Life to go professionally, I felt terribly lost. So I took a quick jump to from questioning to self-doubt.

If done correctly, self-doubt is a powerful exercise of self-enlightenment.

If took to an extreme, it is poisonous.

I never do anything halfheartedly, so I took my self-doubt too far.

Soon, I was no longer questioning only my professional path, I was questioning every decision that had put me on such path. I was questioning my creative aspirations — I even wondered if I should have creative aspirations at all. I still do, sometimes.

I see myself as a doubter in recovery. I don’t think I will ever have all the answers, neither do I want them: sometimes it’s good not to know where you are going.

However, I had to learn (and I am still learning) at how to keep doubt at a healthy level:

• Do what feels good. If you like to write, write. If you like to sing, sing. It may not be relevant for your current work, but doing what you like keeps your creative instincts up and running.
• Make mistakes. It’s O.K. if you took a job and a few weeks in you realize it’s not exactly right for you. As important as knowing what you like, is knowing what you DON’T like.
• Be useful. This is from personal experience: it makes me feel accomplished to feel like I am helping someone, be it in a work environment or a personal one. Help your older neighbor carry the groceries. Save a stray dog.
• Be good. Just because you feel lost, people around you don’t need to suffer with you. Don’t let your grumpiness or your sadness or your frustration or whatever it is you are feeling take a hold of you. When you feel yourself about to snap, talk to someone you love.
• Wander. Like literally, put on some shoes and just go. Exercise is good for you. Walking is great. The constant change of scenery will either clear your head or provide new ideias.
• Go back to the beginning. It is hard. It is painful. But it is required. Try to think of the first time you really doubted yourself and analyse it. Every behavior has a root, a spark. By figuring that out, you might be a few steps closer to figuring out yourself.

These are not ‘set in stone’ rules. This is my journey, so far. What works for me, might not work for your — they don’t call it journey of SELF discovery for nothing!