Doubt is a wonderful thing because it allows for questioning, thoughtfulness, reflection and discernment. However, much of the time when we notice ourselves doubting it takes us to the place of giving up. We don’t simply doubt; instead we believe the self-doubt, which says, “I don’t know why I even thought of that idea; I didn’t want to do it anyway.” This inevitably leads to backing away and trusting the story of “I can’t do this.” From there, we experience a constriction of the self.

I often wonder what would happen if we simply paused for a moment, letting the statement, “just doubting” live expansively within us? Perhaps we could pause long enough to investigate further the experience of doubting, rather than lurching into an action or decision based on a constricted, fear or doubt based story.