How Self-Doubt Might Be Holding You Back
Throughout my life, I've found it easy to doubt myself—my skills, my ability to create change, my knowledge. There's always some reason to say "no, not now, not me, I could never..."
Our brains are fantastic at finding reasons why something might not work. But the truth that I've discovered is that most of the time, the true reason why we hold ourselves back is simple fear—fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of judgment. And that fear may be causing us to act in ways that aren't in alignment with what we actually want to do.
A lot of the fear is social. We're social creatures, and we like to be liked. We like to be validated, supported, approved of. We're afraid of doing things that others might view negatively.
But if we want to make a difference for animals, sometimes we need to address our fear head on and recognize that it's holding us back from doing what we truly value. Some of the proudest moments of my life have been the times when I've acknowledged my fear, and then I've advocated for animals anyways. And I believe that each time I've done that has made me a stronger person who is living my life more in line with my values.
So, I'll challenge you to reflect on how fear and self-doubt might be holding you back from advocating for animals. Is the fear warranted? Or would you actually be happier and more impactful if you acknowledged the fear and then pressed on? What might you have to gain from taking action despite your fears?
