An honest dialogue about love, life, and everything in-between...

Friday, March 20, 2009

Exploring Self-Doubt

6:47 PM |

...second guessing the second guess

Today I was thinking about self-doubt and it's origins. I have a habit of downplaying what are clearly my strengths and my talent. And it got me thinking, what is that about? While it can be symptomatic of being told that you were not good enough, I think it can be a result of other things.

I think you ultimately know what you did to create this great work or how much time and effort it took you to do what you do. Sometimes you know when that effort wasn't equivalent to the praise you get from the results. Sometimes you compare yourself to others in your field and feel like their work is so far above and beyond that nothing you have created up to this point is worthy of the same kind of acclaim you give them. It can also be that artist frame of mind where your work is just never good enough because you know you can always be better.

That doubt, that nagging voice in your head is hard to silence sometimes. And I don't think it should be. At times I think that sometimes it keeps you humble because you could potentially teeter on the brink of conceit if you never heard it. It can also keep you moving to be the best you, you can. So it should be channeled and not silence.



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