In praise of doubting things

(and doing them anyway)

“Your doubt may become a good quality if you train it. It must become knowing, it must become critical.”
— Rainer Maria Rilke

Sometimes when we are about to embark on something new, we can find ourselves swimming in the sea of self-doubt.

When I’ve been in that position and expressed my feelings, I’ve often been met by the well-meaning sentiment to stop doubting myself. As advice, it’s comforting, but not always constructive.

The thing is, when we are doing something for the first time, we have no idea what’s in store and how our experience will measure up. Such unknowns naturally bring uncertainty, which naturally brings doubt. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

We’re so quick to try and rid ourselves and others of the uncomfortable feelings that accompany doubt, we can overlook what those feelings are revealing to us.

Perhaps we don’t need to eradicate doubt, but leave room for it.

Doubt as discernment 

“Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us …