As athletes, most of us can relate to experiencing self doubt. This is something I struggle with often.
What’s really interesting is when people notice my confidence and question whether I really do experience self doubt. What true is this: self doubt and confidence can live in the same world.
Whenever we decide to make a state of change or go to the next level, we will experience self doubt. It’s part of the deal and this is what keeps people from evolving because they don’t want to experience it. They don’t want to put themselves out there.
This exact thing has kept me from truly pursing a more competitive side of triathlon for years. I didn't want to have a goal that was so big that it allowed the self doubt to surface. The smaller my goals stayed, the safer I stayed. Or so it seemed. But what happened instead was that I just never evolved into who I wanted to be and along the way experienced a sense of disappointment, instead of self doubt. I just traded one crappy emotion for another, but didn't move any closer to the athlete I wanted to be.
The life of our dreams is not rainbows and butterflies all the time. The life we want takes work. The goals we set for ourselves take work. And we’re fully capable humans to take on that challenge.
Here’s the new game plan I’ve adopted: when I set a goal, I assume it will be a huge challenge. I know that it’s supposed to feel like self doubt and I move toward that on purpose. Because the person I get to become as I work through the self doubt is worth it.
Another really important thing to remember is this: self doubt is a choice. It’s something we create with our thoughts. The easiest way to see this is when we set a big, hairy, audacious goals. If they stretch us enough, then our brain will usually default to thinking things like “what are you thinking?” or “you can’t do that!” or “you’re not capable of that” because those thoughts are simple and efficient. And that’s what our brains love - the more efficient, the better! It’s almost a natural reaction to the growth potential.
Simply put: self doubt is just a collection of thoughts that don’t support us and our potential.
Are you willing and able to face your own doubts?
Most of us get to the self doubt part and let it take control and defeat us.
Think about the last race when you set a big goal. Think about what you were willing to do and experience emotionally to achieve that goal. Now think about what you actually did and experienced emotionally. Did you give up on yourself even before putting in the emotional work required? Did you allow the self doubt to hold you back?
My mentor, Brooke Castillo puts it this way: we have to be aware of “the things we are willing to repeatedly try until we increase our capacity to do them.”
For me, setting a goal to win my age group at IM Chattanooga in September brought up A LOT of self doubt and continues to! I have found myself thinking things like: “that’s pretty ambitious, what makes you think you can do that?” and “you’ve never stood on an IM podium before so you can’t just go out and win.” Recogizing first, that these are simply thoughts that don’t support my potential. And that I must be willing to face them and repeatedly do what needs to get done to increase my own capacity. Even when races along the way don’t go as planned (hello, IM 70.3 CdA!).
So I ask again, are you willing and able to face your own doubts? If not, why not? And if yes, who will you become along the way?
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