Do you find yourself doubting your Self?

I believe we've all been there. I know I have. I've been there more times than I'd like to count.

will anyone show up?
will they judge me too harshly for putting this out there?
how much do we charge for this program, and how many hours, or weeks should it be?
does this fit within our mission of supporting others to their highest potential?
does this _________ even make sense?

With the clients that we work with, especially artists and those who are having a health crisis, doubt seems to creep in a lot—keeping folks up at night, tossing and turning and wondering what if... what if this? What if that? What if they don't like me? What if it turns out that I don't know what I'm doing? What if I fail? What if this disease kills me?!?

Here are two simple tools that you can use to help you in times of doubt

Practice the art of Trust. When you're faced with the fear, overwhelm and stress of not knowing what to do and doubt is creeping in, begin a simple and consistent practice of Trusting yourself. Notice that you've been through a heck of a lot in your life and you will get through this, too.

Quick story: During the quarantine, I took a two hour breathwork course online. During the intense and wonderfully healing class, I heard from the Universe: "In the middle of Trust is U. TrUst." I immediately got up from the floor and wrote it down. And now I'm telling you. When you're in a place of doubt, allow yourself the grace of Trusting. TrUst You. Trust Your Self...

Try this: The next time doubt begins to creep us, simply and repeatedly say: I trust myself, I Trust myself, I trust myself...

Give yourself some grace. Allow yourself to not have all the answers, all the time, at the drop of the hat. It's natural to have some confusion or lack of clarity sometimes. Breathe into that space of not knowing and take care of yourself with a wee bit (or a lot) of grace. It's OK be uncertain, to have doubts sometimes. It's part of the human experience.

Heck, even Patricia the Primate has doubts sometimes...

image credit: Paolo Nicolello

It's normal to feel this way, to have doubts. Part of the solution is to recognize it as a temporary experience (thankfully most of us don't get stuck in doubt), give yourself some (or a lot of) grace, and trust that you will find all the right solutions for you.

Be gentle with yourself, OK? I believe in you. And I hope that you believe in you, too.

~~~

Coming April 21, 2023 When in Doubt, Nearly 400 funny, inspiring and insightful Ideas about what to do when you're in doubt. Follow Joseph's author page on amazon for updates.