What Will Happen If Your Worst Doubts Come True?
Some people think that because I’m confident that I don’t struggle with doubt.
Sure. Ok. I am confident. I show up as myself.
AND>>>
AND I struggle with doubt!
I worry that I’m not gonna get where I want to go. That I’ve hurt people along the way.
I worry that I don’t know what I’m doing. That I can’t really help my clients.
I think a little dose of doubt makes me reflective; it inspires me to excellence & hard work.
So, where’s the line between a healthy dose of doubt and a crippling case of it?
To help me straddle this wobbly line, I use the “And Then What” approach. It’s a tool my friend Tracy and I invented when helping each other through hard times.
Here’s how it works:
You want A THING.
Doubt creeps into your brain. You spend an unreasonable amount of time worrying about this thing.
Doubt says things like, “Are you crazy? Who do you think you are!?
What if it fails? What if someone doesn’t like it? You’re probably not the person to do this…”
You keep thinking these thoughts A LOT. And they keep you stuck.
But what if - after you think the thought that’s laden with doubt - you finished it with the question, “And Then What?”
You unpack what really could happen if that terrible doubt turned out to be true.
Here’s a personal example:
Before I dove into becoming a business owner, I was a teacher. Not an entrepreneurial muscle in my body!
I was terrified - What if I sucked at it? What if I brought nothing to the table? What if we failed?
All of those are valid thoughts, right? I spent MONTHS pondering these doubts.
- I doubt I’ll be useful in this business.
- I doubt I’ll be able to think like an entrepreneur.
- I doubt my family & friends will support my decision to leave teaching.
Let me unpack the biggest, hairiest of these thoughts using the And Then What strategy:
#1: I doubt I’ll be useful in this business.
No lie - this was my biggest doubt. I feared that I wasn’t bringing anything to the table.
I wasn’t creative, I wasn’t strategic, and I wasn’t a visionary. My other two partners were all of those things. I was just really organized & able to write.
I didn’t see my value. I truly didn’t think I’d be useful once the beginning administrivia was all set.
PS: Guess what? Administrivia NEVER ends in a business! Organization and writing - they never end - creating systems and policies and procedures and content…
IT NEVER ENDS.
But I digress.
At that point, obviously, I couldn’t know that I’d be vital to the business later on.
That I’d learn how to be strategic, that I’d cultivate creativity, and that my very visionary partners would come to rely on my tactics & organization to keep operations going?!
If I’d applied the And Then What? Strategy, I’d have been able to overcome doubt more easily.
Here’s how it would have looked: “What if I’m not useful in the business?”
AND then what?
Well, then I’d make choices. I’d decide this isn’t for me and get out, I create work to BECOME useful, OR I take some other action that feels right.
But how would I ever have known if I didn’t try?
Honestly, what’s the worst that could happen?
I bet you live in this doubt space all the time, but you don’t really unpack the answer to, “What’s the worst that could happen?”
When we let doubts run our lives, we are letting “What Ifs” rule.
What ifs are bullshit - they aren’t real!!
Your What Ifs might be a source of creation for you. What if I try THIS?
And they can also be a source of paralysis for you. What if I fail at THIS?
See the problem? Use the And Then What strategy to help you unpack the potential Worst Case Scenarios -
AND THEN remember that YOU have can handle whatever that outcome is!
Stop letting it stop you.
No one can do this all alone. You are TIRED of carrying around your doubts and want to unpack them with someone! It’s time to...
- Gain Clarity
- Feel Powerful
- Take Action
Schedule your Breakthrough Session today. In 30 minutes, you’ll leave knowing…
- What you want.
- What’s in your way.
- A micro-plan to go get it.
See you there!
