How to Deal with Doubt.
Doubt is the Handbrake of LIFE. Here’s how to deal with it.
Dear Friends,
It seems clear to me that the source of my + our sabotage and 'slowness of progress' is:
DOUBT.
And I am talking about those of you who SHOULD BE moving forward -
Because you HAVE SOMETHING to offer, create, communicate -
You have some kind of "good" you want to share -
But your cryptonite is: DOUBT.
There's a good chance 99% of the time -
That if you have even an ounce of talent -
Or a story to share that no one else could share like you (because they are not you).
The thing that blocks you is the ever shifting SINUSOID of Emotion and Time.
On MONDAY you feel certain you will MOVE.
On TUESDAY you feel TERRIFIED.
On WEDNESDAY you feel "WHY" am I thinking about doing this...
On THURSDAY you feel TERRIFIC - what the hell - I must TRY.
On FRIDAY you feel like a FAILURE because you haven't. Yet.
So you promise yourself - MONDAY! (And then ESCAPE into the Weekend)
—
The trouble with the above PATTERN is this.
Your Emotions keep moving up and down and all around.
But the TRUTH stays the same. The TRUTH hasn't moved.
The Truth is: You feel CALLED to SOMETHING, and yet you DOUBT.
You mistake your EMOTIONS for TRUTH - when actually -
Your emotions change - every. single. day.
They change because of barometric pressure,
They change because of last night's sleep,
They change because of what you ate,
They change because of what some stranger said on the subway...
Emotions are ever changing and shifting....
Emotions don't always ALIGN with OBJECTIVE REALITY of YOUR SITUATION.
(It's hard to see REALITY when your EMOTIONS are stirred)
And therefore - it could very well be -
That you allow MOVING on WHAT MATTERS MOST -
To DEPEND on EMOTION.
And sometimes it comes - the good emotion - for a moment.
And so you start frantically - moving on it like a mad person.
Only to abandon the project a few days later when the EMOTION of DOUBT creeps in.
Friends!
Can we recognize that we cannot allow WHAT MATTERS MOST
to be under the command of WHAT KEEPS MOVING ALL OVER THE PLACE?
As far as the TRUTH of the MATTER - it stands still.
It is the same on Monday - as it will be on Wednesday - and right through the weekend:
"You have something you want to create....you are called to do it. That's it".
Anyday, any small step will be good to start - no matter what you FEEL.
It is only your HESITATION / DOUBT that causes DISPERSION of FOCUS and ENERGY -
ENERGY which could have been otherwise used to JUST MAKE THE FIRST STEP.
So instead of allowing EMOTIONS to be our DICTATOR -
Let us MOVE FORWARD with FAITH.
FAITH is not an emotion, it is not a wishful fantasy -
It is well founded, because it comes from an INNER CALLING -
An INNER LIFE DETECTOR - installed at birth - which is always asking:
"Knock, knock - I know we are living, but are we ALIVE?"
And then it pings you to -
RESPOND to an IDEA + SOMETHING + SOMEONE - that PULLS us (and only us) toward It.
It could be as simple as clay pottery - it's calling you and you cannot resist!
No one else cares about clay pottery - but it makes YOU ALIVE.
Move toward it with FAITH - no matter what you FEEL like - and watch!
Miracles will start happening in your life.
FAITH is the FUEL of MIRACLES.
And it's all you need to START.
DOUBT is the destroyer of ALIVELINESS.
and all meaningful ADVANCEMENT in your life and work.
Remove DOUBT and make the DECISION to MOVE.
Here's when you can BELIEVE in YOUR DECISION (even if you don't have guarantee of result):
you reflect on your current situation - with clear, honest and accurate appraisal of WHAT IS
you reflect on PAST PATTERNS - with clear, honest and accurate appraisal of WHAT HAS BEEN
you do your best to project reasonably - what COULD HAPPEN if you take Step 1, 2, 3.
Do the above REFLECTION. Take 10 Mins on Paper. Set a timer.
Then Decide to Move.
REMOVE DOUBT.
(it is completely useless going forward)
(like driving forward with your handbrake on)
DOUBT CANNOT BE RESOLVED THROUGH ANYTHING BUT A DECISION!
Decide to MOVE Forward with a SMALL ACTION - based now on FAITH...
and soon enough with some FRUIT to show for your efforts.
And here's the next key - MOVE FORWARD HUMBLY.
Work with and in HUMILITY.
Pay attention now - because the next lines might open your eyes to something:
Not moving because of DOUBT is often justified because of a false sense of humility -
Which is all the more dangerous and destructive because it masquerades as a "good" -
It masquerades as a true humility (which it is NOT):
"I am not moving because of good reasons".
"It isn't any good to self-promote"
"I don't want to create something that isn't really well done"
"Because this is important to me - I want to make sure I do all the preparation that I can..."
And feel free to add to this list with your own voices of false humility.
Let's be brutally real:
We say these things to ourselves and accept them as a "good".
But what if those thoughts are liars trying to mask their real identity:
FEAR.
Sometimes laziness, sometimes frail ego,
Afraid of how people will perceive you
When you say what is on your HEART.
Let us sum it up with an ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS:
(you cannot heal yourself otherwise)
This isn't HUMILITY - it is DOUBT.
Humility is putting yourself out there -
Doing the work, taking the risk, putting it out there:
"Here's my story, song, painting about something close to my heart..."
That's Humility.
EVEN IF you think your DOUBT is well founded:
I could speak, sing, paint better
I could use better microphone, canvas, paint
The lighting could be better....
I stutter at 39 seconds of my film
Ugh - I look old, etc
All of that could be TRUE. And SO WHAT.
What is EVEN MORE TRUE and ACTUALLY USEFUL -
to You and the World - is THIS:
Moving Forward with Faith and Humility, despite all the imperfections and bull****,
IS THE ONLY WAY to IMPROVE in ANY MEANINGFUL WAY - going FORWARD.
The only way to IMPROVE is to MOVE.
The only way to move is....to MOVE.
--
DOUBT is the handbrake of your growth,
DOUBT is the SILENT DEATH SENTENCE of your DREAMS.
How do you destroy DOUBT?
DECISION.
(and when Doubt reappears - remind yourself of the DECISION or DECIDE AGAIN)
--
And so my appeal to myself and to you my dear friend - is THIS:
Move on what matters to you. Do it TODAY.
Do it with FAITH and HUMILITY.
The path ahead isn't going to be illuminated unless you move forward -
You have the flashlight in your hand - and to light up the road ahead -
You must move ahead.
Set a timer for 10 minutes today. ⏰
And take the smallest possible step -
Even if it is to read this again and let this IDEA plant its roots within you.
Or to write down 10 small ideas you could work on to express something close to your heart.
Whatever you do - DESTROY the DOUBT with a DECISION -
Doubt serves no useful purpose here.
(doubt is useful if you're about to jump into an empty pool - but you're not planning to do that, right?)
Decide, Start small, work with humility, move with faith -
Because it isn't "being wrong" or "failure" that will haunt you when time runs out -
It will be not having tried at all -
To move on what mattered to you most -
Because you had "doubts".
Sounds tragic and silly at the same time, doesn't it?
Let's decide and then move while there's still time.
Here's to your journey,
Tommy Zee
PS. If you haven't watched The Art of Aliveliness yet - see if you can do it this weekend...I'm taking it down soon. 🙏