Fear of Doubt

If this was truly a good idea, wouldn’t someone have thought of it before?
I know what the numbers are saying, but my gut just tells me something different.
Maybe now isn’t the right time… perhaps we should wait.

This article concludes the series of advice for dealing with the individual fears that prevent people from taking action on ideas, and I’m finishing this collection of posts with today’s featured topic: Fear of Doubt.

I saved Doubt for last because it’s a common fear that most everyone has experienced at one level or another.

Doubt can convince you that you’re being appropriately cautious, but frequently it is rooted in serious self-doubt of your own abilities and convictions.

When you have doubts about a project you’re interested in pursuing, do you usually work through them and move forward with the project, or are you more likely to let it shutdown the idea completely.

Worse, do you let Doubt stall the project indefinitely?

Doubt prevents you from making decisions

There is a lot of stress surrounding the process of making decisions. Trying to choose between Choice A and Choice B is what creates the stress, as you get closer and closer to making your decision the stress builds and with each increase in anxiety the impulse to put off making your choice becomes more attractive — BUT when you actually make your final decision (and it doesn’t matter which one you choose) your stress almost magically evaporates.

To help dial down your doubt and be more productive (and put more projects into action), make yourself make decisions.

The can be small decisions, they can be individual steps that are all part of a much larger decision, or they can be big honkin’ decisions that you’ve been too scared (and too filled with doubt) to make previously.

If you make decisions your doubts will deteriorate.
No doubt about it.