For most of my life, I thought self-doubt and insecurities were things that only some people dealt with—certainly not successful people or those with the most experience. I assumed they had moved past these struggles.
But I won’t lie—this era fascinates me. I love that people are more open about their feelings and traumas. I see successful people admitting they’re not proud of their past. Even my role models openly share that they still struggle with self-doubt and insecurities.
I Think I Know How to Control Them
What I know now is that I think I’ve learned how to control them—before they control me.
My self-doubt and insecurities are always there, and they always will be. But instead of letting them paralyze me, I use them to double-check my decisions and my final work.
- Are they good enough?
- Should I put them out there?
- Can they be improved?
But if I let these doubts grow unchecked (which, unfortunately, I sometimes do), they can easily take over. Suddenly, I start thinking I should quit everything—that I’m not good at anything.
I watched a Q&A the other day where someone asked Conan O’Brien about his early years on Late Night. They asked, “When did you know you were good?” And his answer?
“It took a super long time.”
Even now, he still has self-doubt. And that made me realize—maybe it never fully goes away.
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