We All Face Doubts

I'm the type of person who likes to take on new challenges, whether it is a car repair, home repair, DIY project, or a new activity at work. The more challenging the better, but sometimes I doubt myself and my abilities. We all do. Just a few weeks ago I installed a bathroom fan in our downstairs bathroom that I ordered back in December. It had been sitting on the floor in my office for over a month and every time I had a chance to work on it I chose something else to do. Why? Well, I've installed these before, but never in a downstairs bathroom without attic access. In my mind, this was going to be a pain and take me hours, so week after week I pushed it off. When I finally did it a few weeks ago, it took me about an hour and could not have been easier. What happened? Doubt!

We all doubt our abilities at times, usually, it comes out through procrastination, excuses, or just a lack of desire to start it. So how do you notice them and how do overcome them?

First, you have to recognize the doubt in ourselves. What have you been pushing off? Have you been making excuses for why you can't do something? Or maybe you just keep finding something else to do because you are too busy to take on that task. For instance, one of the core concepts of managing personal finance is creating a budget, but time and time again I hear excuses that I can't figure it out, or I'm too busy to sit down and do it. If you follow my principles I tell everyone who gets started to keep it simple. Write it down and start doing it, it is that simple. As you work on it from month to month you will find your mistakes, correct them, and keep going.

Now that you know what you are doubting yourself it's time to take it on. Sometimes it helps to just write it out. What do you want to accomplish or need to accomplish and why? Then list out what happens if you don't do it. What happens if you do? Finally, one last challenge, what is the worst thing that can happen if you mess up and what are the chances of that happening? Once you have this, now read it over and see if you are ready now to take it on, or what you need to do to minimize your risk of the worst case happening.

Finally, it is time to just make a plan to get after it and take a step in the right direction. One small step is all it takes. Once you start taking those steps that momentum is going to pick up and before you know it you have tackled that doubt, overcome the challenge, and are ready for the next one.

One thing is for sure, the more you do hard things, the easier the next hard thing becomes. There is actually some science here that I won't go into, but our brain expands when we push ourselves to new limits. So do not get after it, overcome that doubt, and like I posted last week. Try Harder!