Do you ever have those moments where life is going very well? You feel stable and safe, as though things are just how you had always dreamed they would be? Then, out of nowhere, you are filled with self-doubt and questioning? What am I doing? Where am I going? Is this really the purpose I thought I was meant to serve? Why did it feel right and in the flow one minute, then change so drastically the next? What am I supposed to do with these feelings? Or the even bigger question, what am I now supposed to do with my life?
It’s one of those questions, much like parenting, where you wish there was a one size fits all answer or a manual that would tell you what all the next neat step looks like. It would be all packaged in a document that has an outline and you can skip to whatever number or chapter you need in the moment. We all know that doesn’t exist, and if it did it would be a sham. Let’s be real. Life is messy and nobody has the “right” answers. They don’t exist. Better answers may exist, but not right answers. We'll discuss those another time.
So, what do we do? The overarching answer, in the simplest terms, is listening to our inner selves. I know, I know, I know this is not what you want to hear. You just want the answer, we all do. However, it is what you need to hear to get the best answer. We can receive a million ideas from those around us, however, they don’t know us, all our workings, thoughts, feelings, dreams, or fears so intimately to be able to give us the answers we need. That source sits deep within us. In the quiet, in the Source of us, in the space that speaks to our needs, it will acknowledge our fears, and say “still, you know what you need, what you need to do, what feels right to you, what will bring you peace”. It may be challenging or difficult, yet you know it is where you are being directed.
I don’t have advice on what to do in those instances self-doubt asserts itself, or how to “fix it”. I do have some questions you can ask yourself to find those answers.
What is it that’s causing you to doubt yourself? Is it comparing yourself to others and finding yourself lacking because of the expectations that don’t belong there?
Are you being honest with yourself about where you are in life and what you do want?
Are you settling for something, and it just feels wrong deep in your soul?
Here’s a big one, is the fear of moving into something bigger and greater than you can imagine for yourself causing you to question who you are and what you are here to do?
Self-doubt is a friendly reminder to check in with your own needs, and if what is happening in your life is in alignment with who you truly are. In my experience, it also seems to show up when there is opportunity for incredible growth both internal and external.
May you lean into the deeper sense of who you are, sit in the silence within, and let the best thing for you unfold.