I used to think self-doubt was something you outgrew. Like acne. Or angsty poetry. Or those crushes on people who treated you like an afterthought.
But self-doubt doesn’t leave when you grow. It gets smarter. Quieter. More manipulative. It stops yelling and starts whispering. It learns your voice and speaks in it.
You know the voice.
“You’re not ready.”
“This isn’t good enough.”
“Who do you think you are?”
It dresses in reason, wears the cologne of caution, and somehow convinces you that your fear is just wisdom in disguise. Worst of all, it shows up right before the good stuff happens.
Every time I’ve stood on the edge of something worthwhile—starting a new job, launching a new project, opening my heart to someone new there it was. Self-doubt. Standing guard like some petty gatekeeper to my potential.
For a while, I thought the goal was to kill that voice.
Get rid of it.
Outgrow it.
Now I think the goal is just to keep going anyway.
You don’t silence self-doubt by shouting it down. You silence it by doing the thing it tells you you can’t.
You keep writing.
Keep building.
Keep showing up.
Keep loving.
Keep trying.
Self-doubt hates motion. It thrives in hesitation.
So I’ve made a quiet pact with myself: I will move anyway. I will write the words even when I think they’re trash. I will send the email even when I feel like an imposter. I will pitch the idea, apply for the role, publish the piece. I’ll let my shaky hands hit "send." I’ll give myself permission to be both afraid and brave.
Self-doubt isn’t proof that you’re not ready.
It’s proof that you’re close to something that matters.
And if you’re hearing that voice right now, whispering all the reasons you should play it safe—I hope you know that you’re not alone. I hear it too. Most of us do.
But that doesn’t mean it’s right.
Sometimes, the bravest thing you can do is keep going in spite of it.
No apologies.
Just stories.
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