How to Handle Self-Doubt
After my workday is over, I try to relax and shift my focus on other things. But self-doubt is always lurking in the dark, ready to attack me from the inside where I expect it the least. Is it just my own fear speaking or do I have reasons to doubt myself?
Self-doubt is needed to spark your creativity?
A lot of times, during my checks before I deliver my work, I do have new ideas to make the content better. Sometimes I just change some words, and other times I change complete sentences. Sometimes I do get new insights on the subject when I am proofreading, and I use these new insights to improve the content. So for me, having self-doubt does not feel like something to be ashamed of. I even dare to say that self-doubt helps me become better at my job.
Stephen King even dreams about his self-doubt
In ‘On Writing’, King said of his self-doubt, “Writing fiction, especially a long work of fiction can be a difficult, lonely job; it’s like crossing the Atlantic Ocean in a bathtub. There’s plenty of opportunity for self-doubt.”
Years later, in a 2014 interview with Rolling Stone, King explained how his fear of failure manifests in dreams, “The one that recurs is that I'm going to be in a play, and I get to the theater and it's opening night and not only can I not find my costume, but I realize that I have never learned the lines.”
Despite years of success, King tells Rolling Stone, “I'm afraid of failing at whatever story I'm writing – that it won't come up for me, or that I won't be able to finish it.”
Will you ever conquer your self-doubt?
To be honest, I do not believe I ever will. But sometimes I ask myself: ‘Do I even want my self-doubt to be gone? Is there a way to make it useful and not only distracting?’ And lately I have been thinking more and more about the answers to these questions, and it gave me new insight on how to handle it.
Instead of fighting it, I decided to embrace it, use it, and gain new insights to my content. For example, I did write an article last week for one of my regular clients, after the work was done I headed to the store to buy some groceries.
During my shopping-spree, self-doubt was lurking and making me think things over. So when I got home, I decided to have a look at my article. I did change a few minor things to make it more readable. So instead of fighting it, I decided to use it for my own good.
But how do I know when to ignore it, or use it for my own good?
It took some time and effort (lots of reading) to understand that there is no reason for me to be afraid. I believe that there is no reason to ignore it, or to be afraid of self-doubt. I choose to use it for my own good, I acknowledge it and embrace it even. I use it as part of my creative process to keep improving. Therefore, I suggest you to use it instead of trying to ignore it, it is not going to go away. Try to make the most of it, and use it to your best abilities.
How does self-doubt affect you? And, how do you handle it?
