Can Self-Doubt Help You Succeed?

Doubts can run the gamut of the human experience, but a large proportion of them are centered around our careers. Your BV career is no exception: Am I in the right profession? Am I working hard enough? What company do I want to work for? Am I focusing on the right things? Is my work good enough? Do I actually like this? Will I be able to pull in the compensation I desire? How do I know if I am on track for people in my age bracket? Are there better options that are slipping by? On and on and on!

Most of us may feel that self-doubt is disastrous and should never be revealed to anyone, not even our own selves. If addressed with honesty and acceptance, though, self-doubt can actually be our friend.

How is this possible? Most of us think of self-doubt as the enemy; something that drags us down and destroys our dreams. What if self-doubt is that small inner voice – prompting us to ask the right questions before sending us down a better path?

Galileo professed that self-doubt is “the father of all invention”. And so it can be: self-doubt can spur us on to greater creativity and accomplishment, as long as we navigate it correctly. Furthermore, self-doubt is not necessarily an indicator of poor self-esteem. Your self-esteem can be quite high and yet a startling number of doubts can still creep in. Here’s how they can actually help you.

Doubt helps you to question things. Analytical skills are a boon in your BV career and likewise, it can be helpful to question your surroundings with a healthy amount of critical thinking. If you take the time to think something through, you can gain a clearer perspective on which direction you should take. Self-doubt can lead to greater self-awareness and a deeper inner strength.

Doubt helps you to recognize that something might be wrong. Self-doubt alerts you to the presence of fear, which – if approached calmly – can help you find the source of your distress and prompt you to appropriate action.

Doubt can motivate you to better alternatives. Many creative people believe that without those moments of crippling self-doubt, they wouldn’t be able to create anything worthwhile. Robert Hughes said, “The greater the artist, the greater the doubt. Perfect confidence is granted to the less talented as a consolation prize.” How about that? So, the presence of self-doubt does not mean that you are unable to accomplish as much as your seemingly-self-confident peers or superiors. Rather, your self-doubt can help you hone in on how your particular set of skills can help you achieve a better solution.

This leads us to the most important point of all: the call to action. Self-doubt – if allowed to run rampant and without any guidance – can leave you feeling PARALYZED; scared and unable to make any decisions out of fear. But, if we recognize that doubt is actually a red-light signaling us to make a decision, beneficial things can start to happen. At some point, you just have to “do something” and push through the doubt and fear.

Is it worse to pursue your goal and fail? Or to never try at all? As Alastair Campbell put it, “I see it (self-doubt) as a strength, not a weakness, because, usually, I haven’t allowed it to disable me. Instead, it is the means by which I prepare, consider other options and perspectives, strive for clarity about what can be attained and what cannot – and then, critically, stop the doubting, and act.”

The key is to USE your self-doubt as a call to act upon your questions and fears and take definitive action towards achieving your desired goal. If you have questions or doubts about your BV career (direction, compensation, upward mobility, etc), contact us. We’ll be happy to help you understand the options for your future. No strings attached.

Let us help you take that first step towards a more confident and informed career in the BV world.