Falconer1

SayuriFalconer
MollyFenn
English,Period1(HP)
19October2015
OnSelfDoubt,andTheOvercomingof
Weallgothroughperiodsinourlives,whenwereallywantsomethingaccomplished,but
wejustcannotbringourselvestoachieveit,becauseourmindstellusweareincapable,were
notgoodenough,orthatitsbetternottoeventryincasewefail.Sometimesthisistheonly
reasonwefindourselvesunabletoactualizeourselvesorbeproductive,becausewetell
ourselvesthesethings.Formost,thatlittlevoiceinthemindisreferredtoasSelfDoubt.The
perplexityofsuchaconceptisreadilyapparent.Whatisthefunctionofthiscounterproductive
mentalroadblock?Doesitevenhaveapurpose?Canitbedisregardedentirely?Perhaps,isthis
easiersaidthandone?Allofthesequestionsmaybeansweredverysimplyconsidering
SelfDoubtisanaturalpartofthethoughtprocess,butthatdoesntnecessarilymeanitshould
alwaysbelistenedto.
Forafirstexample,psychologistsseemtoapproachselfdoubtasacompletelyhealthy
mechanismofthemind,actingasasystemofchecksandbalancesthatallpeoplemustlearnto
control.Whilethismayseemabithardtobelieveatfirst,manystudiesactuallyhavehelped
revealalittlebitaboutSelfDoubtandnotjustthedrawbacksofit,asonewouldexpect,but
alsotheupsides.Thissourceoflowselfesteemmaybeagoodthingorevenusedtomy
advantage.Likemostphenomenaofhumans,SelfDoubtcanbetracedbackasasimplematter
ofnatureversusnurture.TheamountofSelfDoubtwithinapersonandhoweffectivepeopleare


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intheirlifestyleactuallycorrespondsquiteabittotherudimentalfactorsofboththehowyou
wereraised(nurture),andhowmuchselfdoubthasbeeninherentlypasseddowntoyouthrough
DNA(nature)(AreYouPlaguedWithSelfDoubt?).Fearoffailuremakessureweareputting
oureffortsintherightplaces.AnotherexampleofhowSelfDoubthasfunctionalrootscanbe
notedwhenpsychologistssaythattoomuchconfidence(alackofselfdoubt),givestheillusion
thatnothinginlifeneedstobeworriedaboutandlifewilleffortlesslyworkoutonitsown.
Althoughitmaybedesireabletogetridofcompromisingthoughtsonceandforall,thisisnotas
seamlessasitmayatfirstappear.AhealthyamountofSelfDoubtmakesyoulessproneto
makingmistakes.Despitewhatalifestylecoachmightbetellingyou,psychologysuggeststhat
moreconfidenceonlygivesyoubetterperformanceforsolong.Justasprinkleofselfdoubt,
accordingtoAndreaAyresofanInternetblogentitledCrew,canincreasehowmucheffort
youarewillingtoexertinordertoachieveyourgoal(UseSelfDoubttoYourAdvantage).This
showsthatSelfDoubtplaysasignificantroleinthewaywethink.Lastly,theroadto
overcomingselfdoubtisafunctionallitsown.Ifdonecorrectly,thejourneymayleadto
strongercharacter,and,overcomingseeminglyendlessselfdoubtcanleadtolearningvaluable
lessonsaboutplanning,motivation,productivity,andmostimportantly,oneself.Useful
selfdoubtdoesntparalyze,itmotivates(The5PositivePowersofSelfDoubt),asDan
Rockwellsays,itisbettertohavedoubtedyourselfandworkedpastitthantohavenever
doubtedyourselfatall.HisinsightsalsotalkaboutSelfDoubtasanimportanttool,saying
dontloseit,useit,asthoughitwereanaturalsourceofhumanfueltopowerproductivityand
selfeffectiveness.


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Emerson,ontheotherhand,takesamoreradical,rulesaremadetobebroken,
SelfDoubtexiststobedoneawaywithsortofstance.Inhisspeculativeyetspiritualessay
titledSelfReliance,Emersonclaimsthatacompletedisposalofselfdoubtisnecessaryfor
happinessandeffectiveness.Hestartsthefirstcoupleoflinesdiscussinggenius.Heexplainsthat
thereisaravinggeniusinsideallofus,butithasbeentamedandputawaybysociety,dirty
institutions,and,effectively,parentsandthewaywewereraised,becauseofSelfDoubt.To
Emerson,theveryconceptofSelfDoubtisaninstitution,anunjustimpositiononthecommon,
victimizedeverymenoftodayssociety.Emersonproudlyremarksinhisessay,Ineverywork
ofgeniuswerecognizeourownrejectedthoughts:theycomebacktouswithacertainalienated
majesty.Inthispassage,hesculptsforusthatselfrelianceistheoppositionofSelfDoubt.
SelfDoubtisimposedonusbyothers,andtheonlypersonfromwhomweneedpermissionfor
anygivendeedisourselves.SelfrelianceisameanstoanendofSelfDoubt,andisthereforethe
gatewaytogenius.Laterhesays,Butthemanis,asitwere,clappedintojailbyhis
consciousness.BythishemeansthattheaveragepersonissodependentonSelfDoubtthatwe
secondguessourselvesintosubmission.Asanexample,haveyouevertakensolongtomakea
decision,doubtingyourinitialchoiceandsecondguessingyourcorrectionforsolongthatthe
windowofopportunityclosesinyourface,leavingyoustandingstillwithlessthanifyouhad
chosenthewrongoption?Atleastthen,youmighthavelearnedfromyourmistakedownthe
road,butinsteadyouarefilledwithfeelingsofguiltandregret,youhavelearnednothingfrom
thesituation.Inthisway,themetaphorforaimprisonmentisfitting,becauseinthefaceofsuch
disablingSelfDoubt,youhavenotonlyimpeachedyourselfandyourownmind,butyouhave
relinquishedabilityandrighttomakeconsciousandinformeddecisionsforyourself.Thelast


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notehemakesonthesubject,relatestothegeneralsentimentofunhappinesscausedbylong
boutsofSelfDoubt.Hisessayreads,Discontentisthewantofselfreliance,itistheinfirmity
ofwill.Thiscallstoquestionseveralofthe(previouslymentioned)psychologistsvalues.
Whosebusinessisitifoneshouldmakemistakesorputlesseffortascouldbeintotheirplans?
Discontentisdiscontent,anditsuptothepersonitsaffectingtodecidewhattheywanttodo
aboutit.Unhappinessmaybetracedbacktolisteningtoselfdoubt,notjusthavingit.Whenyou
doubtyourself,youaremakingaconsciousdecisiontodonothingaboutasituation,andyoure
responsiblefortheconsequencesitmayeffectonyourlife.Whenyoucannotmakeachoice,
doingnothingisachoice,andoftentimesistheleastworthwhile,leadingtomorediscontent.
Basically,ifyouarenothappywithyourlife,itsbecauseyoulackcontrolandareacoward.
Youvelostbyrefusingtolosedeliberatelyenough.Bynotexertingenergyintotheuniverse,
youaresubmittingtoentropyandyourwillwillnoiselesslybutsurelywitherawayintonothing.
Beingunhappyisawasteoftime,anditmeansitisuptoyoutogetyourlifetogether,because
nooneelseisgoingtosilenceSelfDoubtforyou,becausenooneelsecan.
Frommypersonalperspective,Isay:selfdoubthasbeendevelopedinhumanmindsto
giveussomekindofadvantageovertheotherorganismsintheanimalkingdom,butmoreoften
thannot,thereasonpeopleareunhappyisbecauseofthemselves,notdirectlybecauseofoutside
influences.Doubtingyourselfandfeelingsorryforyourself,Iamsorrytosay,isachoice,and
forsome,Icanunderstanditsareally,really,reallyhardchoicetomake.Somepeople,granted,
areincapableofmakingtherightchoice
because
ofexternalinfluences,buttherearealways
otheroptions.Moreoftenthannot,wedoubtourselvestoomuchratherthantoolittle.Asmuch
asSelfDoubtinflicteduponusfromourparentsandsocietyhasapurpose,feelingsof


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confidenceagainstalloddsalsohasapurpose.Tome,itreallyrangtruewhenIheardSuzy
KassemoncesaySelfDoubtkilledmoredreamsthanfailureeverdid.Realizationofmistakes
islearningisgrowingisprogress.Wecompromiseourselvesalthoughwedeservesomuchmore.
Everyonedeservestobehappy,eventheoneshavecommittedterribledeedsdidsoasaresultof
longperiodsofunhappiness.ThepeopleareagenerationfullofShiaLaBeouf'smotivational
speech,preachingYesterdayyousaidtomorrow.Itismyopinionthat,whilepsychologists
maysaytheoverconfidencewillonlygetyousofar,itismyexperiencethatselfdoubtiswhat
willonlygetyousofar.Thephraseyouneverknowunlessyoutrymaybeclich,butas
VincentVanGoghonceputitin1883,Ifyouhearavoicewithinyousay
youcannotpaint,
thenbyallmeanspaintandthatvoicewillbesilenced.Ifpaintingiswhatmakesyouhappy,it
isyour
duty
topaint,andifyouhatepainting,onlythenmustyouforbidyourselftopaint.Think
notofyour
can,
butyour
will.
Tosummarize,yes,selfdoubthasitsplaceanditstime,aseverythingdoeseventually,
andtrue,radicallythrowingcautiontothewindwillcertainlygiveyousometractioninlife
soonerorlater,butthekeytoselfdoubt,and,whatimthinking,isthekeytoahappyexistence,
isnotachoiceofeitheroneofthese,butamixture,andabalance.Onecannotexistwithoutthe
other,sowhynottakethebestofbothworlds?Whynotuseoccasionallycripplinginsecurityto
buildcharacterandshowyourstrengths?Whynotalso,sometimes,sayIcandoit,andgowith
whatyourhearttrulydesires?Whynottrustyourself,yourwholeself,selfdoubtand
selfrelianceandall,togooffthebookandtrysomethingtotallyuniqueandcustommadeto
yourtastes?Itisyourlifeafterall.


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References
McBride,Karyl,Ph.D."AreYouPlaguedWithSelfDoubt?"
PsychologyToday
.Sussex
Publishers,18Apr.2011.Web.18Oct.2015.
<
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/thelegacydistortedlove/201104/areyouplaguedself
doubt
>.
Ayers,Andrea."UseSelfdoubttoYourAdvantage."
CrewBlog
.MontrealCollective,30May
2014.Web.18Oct.2015.<
http://blog.crew.co/useselfdoubttoyouradvantage/
>.
Rockwell,Dan."The5PositivePowersofSelfDoubt."
LeadershipFreak
.Wordpress.com,07
Nov.2012.Web.19Oct.2015.
<
https://leadershipfreak.wordpress.com/2012/11/07/the5positivepowersofselfdoubt/
>.
Emerson,RalphWaldo.SelfReliance,September1830.Print.