How to stop doubting and start acting

Do you want to change your life, but constantly doubt yourself? Are you trying to start the way of self-development, but doubts overwhelm you? Learn how to overcome them and use them for good.

What is doubt?

Doubt is a natural reaction of our psyche to the inability to draw an unambiguous conclusion. Life is multifaceted and complex, with many unknown variables. You can set a goal, but you cannot predict absolutely all obstacles and force majeure that await you on the way. Because of this, no one will be able to say for sure whether you will achieve your goal or not - hence the doubts appear.

Doubt is the fundamental difference between humans and artificial intelligence. A computer, by definition, cannot doubt. In a state of uncertainty, the program is paralyzed, and the person begins to doubt.

Are doubts helpful?

Great people have different opinions on this question. Publius Cyrus, Daniel Harms, Henry Louis Mencken and many others believed that doubt is the source of knowledge and wisdom. We question some generally accepted things and get the power to refute them. If not for the doubts of Copernicus, scientists still would have believed that the sun revolves around the earth, and not vice versa. Skepticism is inherent in modern scholars, and even theologians may doubt the correctness of the interpretation of sacred texts. Doubts, like arguments, sooner or later lead to the truth.

But Pascal, Zweig, Borystenite were convinced that doubt is the enemy of progress. And indeed, doubting the fidelity of our goal, we can show weakness and even refuse to achieve it. Pascal put doubt on a par with laziness - he believed that these two qualities inhibited people's actions.

Who is right? In fact, we are talking about different types of doubt. The "useful" doubt that Publius and Kharms praise is skepticism, unwillingness to take any beliefs on faith. By questioning various things, we can delve into their nature. Please, note - when you doubt your goal or the intended way, you start looking for cons, pitfalls, hidden obstacles. Isn't this productive work?

On the other hand, the "bad" doubts about which Pascal speaks really paralyze us, prevent us from acting. They make us indecisive at the moment when decisiveness is needed most. Instead of jumping into the sea from the pier, we stand shyly on the shore trying to determine if the water is too cold. You can use our FREE Service on our website to fuel your resolve.

How to overcome doubts

So, you have outlined your path and are sure that only doubts prevent you from starting it. How to get rid of them?

You may be surprised, but there is no way to do it. Decisive people who jump into another adventure without much thinking are just as doubtful as you are. They just do not allow doubts to get the better of them and begin to act faster than thoughts of possible difficulties overpower them. It turns out that you are faced with a different task - to act despite doubts.

Become aware of uncertainty

We can never predict the future with complete certainty. What awaits us tomorrow? Bright sun or cloudy sky? A pleasant meeting with a former classmate or a quarrel with family? Winning the lottery or losing your phone? The world is changeable and completely unpredictable, it can present us with a surprise at any moment - pleasant or not. Realize that you will never know ahead what will happen. And feel the relief of being so honest with yourself.

However, this does not mean that one should abandon forecasting the future.

A little exercise

Want to make sure doubts don't necessarily lead to ruin? Here is a simple exercise to help you realize how little the impact of doubt on your life is.

Close your eyes and think: "I cannot raise my hand." Focus strongly on this thought, try to feel it from the inside. If you can, believe that you really cannot raise your hand. And then stop that thought ... and just raise your hand. Doubts will not prevent you from doing this.

This little trick will remind you that no matter what is going on in your head, doubt does not define reality. You are free to act against your fears.

How to handle doubts

When another unwanted thought arises in your head, start with its full realization. It often happens that doubts slip through our thoughts, and we do not even have time to fully understand realize them (but they manage to upset our peace of mind). If possible, you can write down doubts on a piece of paper to make it easier to work with them.

All doubts can be divided into two groups - productive and useless. The first ones can tell you how to protect yourself on your way. For example, if you decided to learn how to ride a scooter, you may be in doubt because of the fear of falling. This doubt tells you a great idea - put on knee protectors so that the fall is not so painful.

Useless doubts are absolutely worthless - often we cannot even formulate them. They are blurry and imprecise, and there is good about them. Usually, they sound something like: "What if something goes wrong?" You can safely brush them off and continue to act - this is nothing more than a reaction to a change in the rhythm of life.

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