Being a recruiter I get to talk with a lot of people. Not only my candidates but also people in my business. This has helped me a lot to observe people and understand how people function.
One thing I have noticed a lot in the past few months and most of my life is the impact of self-doubt. I have seen a lot of talented people who could achieve greatness. I have seen people who have hobbies that could be careers. But the one single thing that stopped most of them is self-doubt.
Self-doubt is interesting. It is something we do to ourselves. Yes, there is some form of outside influence, but most of it is us. It is one of the most difficult traits to get rid of. The online world hasn’t helped this phenomenon. I think, just my assumption, that self-doubt is on the rise due to the internet. Because of the access to the internet, it is easy to compare. It is easy to find people whose lives look way better than ours. As the comparison starts, the doubt kicks in. It is a very tough vicious circle.
I am not immune to self-doubt. I suffer it as much as the next person. Why? Because it is human to doubt yourself. It is natural. It is what you are supposed to do. But you can fight against this natural urge. You can build routines. You can become consistent. You can find ways so that doubt doesn’t impact you. That’s what I try to do myself.
It is difficult to get over self-doubt, especially in the age of the internet. But we can all try to take a small step every day.