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!
Thanks for sharing this! We all have moments of self-doubt but sometimes it’s hard to remember that
And my husband gives me the same advice — use these feelings as fuel to keep working hard. When I’m busy, I do better because I don’t have time to question or worry. The problem comes in during those “slower” periods that every entrepreneur experiences…
I Just Keep Going. Self doubt and negative thoughts have a way of paralyzing even the best of us. In the past year, I have learnt that the secret to growing and defeating fear or self doubt is to step into it and attempts the things we think we can never do. Get busy doing, learning…
I am glad you are back on solid ground.
I too was going through this this week. With my review approaching (it’s today….eek) and some recent layoffs, I’ve been stricken with this terror that I’m going to lose my job. A fun night out on Saturday and a busy Monday really helped.
i love the way that boys can always put things into perspective for us when we get emotional. i don’t know what i’d do without mine! i definitely agree with staying busy; this helps so much! and i will also write a list of all the positive things in my life/things i’m proud of. this helps me to remain positive and stay focussed
xx
Clara, your transparency about being an entrepreneur is so refreshing! I often find myself reading blogs of wildly successful women doing remarkable things in a flawless manner and then asking myself what I’m doing wrong. It’s reassuring to know that real life isn’t what is always posted on blogs and that having feelings of self doubt is normal. Speaking of wildly successful women doing remarkable things- this blog is a portfolio of your talent. When you’re having one of those not-so-great days, take a look through the blog to see all that you’ve created and accomplished. Another thing that always helps clear my head is exercise. And, lastly, in addition to relying on my hubby for a pick me up when I’m down, I’ve learned to open up to my best girlfriends. Your friends will undoubtedly remind you of all the positive things about your business and about you.
Serendipity- your comment truly made my day! Really, it’s feedback like this from my readers that gets me through. It can hard to be proud of your accomplishments when your so close to your work, but your comment was a much needed reminder of how much I’ve created and built here. So thank you so much for that. And I totally agree with you on the exercise front! I’ve been getting to the gym as much as possible lately to keep my spirits up. Have a wonderful weekend and thanks so much for reading!
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