Sometimes I wake up and wonder whether I am on the wrong path. Does that ever happen to you?
Not on an existential level, like “am I on the wrong path in life?” But more like “Have I taken a wrong turn with a project or an aspect of my life?”
It happened when I was writing my book. Should I really be doing this? Is there something else I should be spending my time on?
It happened when I was on the school board and experiencing a lot of related anxiety. Is this where my energy should be going?
It happens when things are hard. Doubt starts to creep in, and you wonder if you’ve made the right call.
When this happens to me, I try to take this as a moment of reflection and then put it aside and keep on keeping on. As time passes, I will either gather more evidence that it’s not the right fit, or something will happen that cancels out the doubt.
Why am I doing this?
At the end of August, I wrapped up my first Mid Career Leadership Cohort. I asked members to share any feedback, suggested revisions for future cohorts, and anything else they would like to share.
One person shared the impact of the 6-month engagement.
“When I came into this experience I was feeling small. I showed up and got my work done. And I knew I was doing a good job. But I worried that I would never contribute more than what I was already doing. In this cohort, I found the confidence to approach my manager and advocate for a formal performance review and to ask for additional responsibilities and additional PTO. I never would have done that if I hadn’t had this opportunity to build my skills and my confidence and the accountability to follow-through with what I said I was going to do. I now feel much stronger about my ability to advocate for myself and to grow in my role.”
I share this because just a few days before I had a moment of doubt about the cohort. “Is this really making a difference?” I acknowledged the question, set it aside, and kept meeting with prospects for the new group. And then I heard this feedback. Wow. Only 6 months, and this was the impact? My doubts vanished.
You can know something is the right idea and still have doubts. Getting that confirmation, big or small, is validating and helps us continue do the hard work.
What’s the lesson here?
Doubts will creep in. Acknowledge them, and set them aside. Don’t let them derail you. Keep moving and gather more information. If it’s the wrong path, evidence will build and you will know it soon enough. But more often than not, you’ll get a boost that reminds you why you are doing the work you are doing.
Because it matters.
What hard thing are you doing because it matters? What do you do when the doubts start to creep in?
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