The Enemy of Doubt

Have you ever been at a crossroads in your life where you actually made the decision to take one road verses another road? Did you regret this decision?

Almost 2 years ago, I made the decision with a group of other people to start my own nonprofit organization. Some of these other people have abandoned this project or perhaps were not that committed in the first place. By default, I am the person who is solely responsible for the success or failure of the organization. The decision to take this road was easy – it was a gut reaction.

As in life, this journey hasn’t been all roses. There were and still are hard times - difficulties raising money, wavering commitment by different parties and promises and offers of help that never materialize. The hard times often make me question if I took the right road. Doubt is an enemy of progress and robs you of the ability to visual a successful future. It is a constant struggle to keep doubt from impacting my day-to-day life.

The problem with doubt is that it deters you from actually finishing and accomplishing your goals. When you have doubt in yourself and your ability, it is hard to keep the motivation to continue on your path. You lose faith in yourself and your future. Once you lose faith in yourself, you start to be unable to make clear, firm decisions because you mind is clouded. You no longer know what the correct decisions are for yourself. You begin to doubt everything in and about your life.

How do you get rid of doubt once it gets a grip on you and enters your brain waves? It is hard to do, but a must in order to clear your mind so that you can make proper decisions. A lot of times we don’t always have someone in our life who is ready and able to tell us how wonderful we are every second of the day and keep us from doubting our abilities. So, we have to learn to beat doubt on our own.

• Recognize and acknowledge all your accomplishments to bring some perspective to things in your life that is not going as planned. Don’t allow yourself to only focus on your weaknesses.
• Create a list of goals that are accomplishable. Sometimes having a big plan or long-range goal is a bit overwhelming and can cause you to feel as if you will never make it. Having a list of smaller goals can allow you to see that your dream could become a reality.
• Continue to make plans. Doubt has won when you stop focusing on your future. Plan ahead. Having activities and events that you must attend and concrete plans to follow through with forces you to continue moving forward.
• Stay busy. If you are busy, you have less time to sit around and doubt yourself and your goals. Fill up your calendar with meetings, activities and projects to minimize the time for doubt.

As you are going forward in your life and living in the moment, you will start to have a clearer mind without the burden of doubt. With a clear mind, you are able to trust your instincts and make the decisions that are right for you.