Yesterday’s view from the Williamsburg Waterfront
It’s Biz Notes Wednesday! I’m feeling overly excited about that fact, likely because we’ve been cooped up for the past few days and I’m experiencing some cabin fever. Somehow, we were one of the lucky few in the NYC area that did not lose power- only internet for a brief period. So we’re feeling very thankful about that. But on to today’s topic!
Last week was a bit of an off period work wise. Out of nowhere I was flooded with worry and self doubt. I felt tired, unsure of what I was doing, hugely hesitant to move forward, and almost paralyzed at the thought of doing so. Everything came to a head last Thursday in a lovely mid afternoon tears session in which I word vomitted everything I was feeling to Brandon. And in a much needed tough love approach, he basically told me to put my head down and keep working. If I was focused on work and keeping myself busy, I wouldn’t have time to let these thoughts overrun my days. Oh, uuummm …. right.
Think about it. When you’re super super busy- facing deadlines, project due dates, and more- you have no time to think negative thoughts, drown in self doubt, or feel sorry for yourself. I remember having a conversation with the Chief Marketing Officer of the first company I worked at. Making small talk in his office one day, I muttered about how busy he must be during the holiday season/end of Q4. He immediately said that he was crazy busy, but loved it. And not in some disingenuous corporate way, but that he truly was a better worker when he had a lot on his place. It forces you to be completely intentional with your time, and highly efficient in all that you do.
October has been a bit of an odd month. It’s been a slower month in some respects, but a busier one in others, marking the beginning of some big next steps and investments towards my business. It’s this combination that sent me into my downward spiral last week. It can be so hard to keep yourself going sometimes, and not because you don’t want to do the work but simply because you’re unsure. But letting those thoughts of self doubt take over is even worse. Believe me- it made for one unpleasant week! And once I was reminded of the solution- to just keep going- everything came back into focus. It was unreal how quickly my mood shifted. But also unreal how quickly I forgot the solution. So take this post as your reminder.
Even though I’m on steady ground once again, I’m so curious- how do you combat self doubt? Any tips or techniques? One can’t have too many!