How I Was Able to Benefit from Self-Doubt
Acknowledging this emotion rather than hiding from it allowed me to explore what was possible.
Making any decision is tough. Big or small, they have an impact, whether that be short-term or long. A few weeks ago, I made a pretty big decision when I enrolled to do an NCTJ (National Council for the Training of Journalists) diploma and train to become a journalist.
I’d been tossing and turning about it for months, even years, but in one moment, after a lot of deliberation, I clicked the button, parted with half a grand, and enrolled.
After, I was immediately filled with excitement at the prospect. But sooner rather than later, I doubted every aspect. Would I be good enough? Would I be able to cope with the workload? Was it a bad financial decision? You name it, every seed of self-doubt went through my head in the hours and days that followed.
And this was despite thinking about this for months on end and coming to what I thought was a conclusive decision. In part, this response stems from my anxiety, which I’ve suffered with for many years now. But it’s also an observation I’ve noticed in everyday life — with every kind of decision — an element of self-doubt usually follows, regardless of how significant it is.
