How to Deal With Self Doubt When Building Something

Everyone who is in the process of building something from scratch has felt self-doubt.

That voice constantly in your head that keeps telling you that it isn’t working.

That you might just quit. That you’re not good enough and should do something different.

But self-doubt doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong, and it clearly doesn’t mean you’re failing.

It means you’re trying to do something that really impacts you and your mood.

And that’s when Self Doubt shows up the most.

Everyone feels it, even those you see online and who are your inspiration.

The problem with self-doubt is when you let it control your actions and emotions.

In this post, I’ll be talking about how to deal with self-doubt when building something.

Whether it’s a business, a brand, a blog, or anything else worth building.

What Is Self Doubt

Self-doubt is that voice in your head that keeps questioning your decisions and your abilities, including your worth.

At some point in your life, you’ll go through this feeling that you’re not good enough, or not prepared enough to do what you’re trying to build.

Most people think self-doubt is a weakness, and I used to think so as well.

I was always thinking that if I’m constantly feeling self-doubt, then it’s only because of my insecurities and my lack of confidence.

But I was wrong.

And if you feel this way, then you’re also wrong.

The people who never doubt themselves aren’t the most confident, they’re normally those who never tried anything worth doing.

They never tried to go out of their comfort zone, and they never tried to build their future.

Self-Doubt comes from fear, whether it’s fear of failure, fear of not being good enough, or even fear of what other people will think.

The next time you feel any type of doubt, ask yourself if that feeling is based on pure emotion or in fact.

Are you having those feelings because of your results, or because of what you’re thinking?

Why Self Doubt Hits Hardest When Building Something

Self-Doubt exists and will always exist in every area of life.

It doesn’t matter if it’s when you’re building a business or in your personal life.

But it hits much differently when you’re building something from scratch.

When you’re building your own business, you’re doing something most people around you won’t ever do.

You won’t have any boss telling you that you’re on the right track. And your salary won’t be promised in the next month.

Everything that you’re doing will depend on you.

And that’s the problem I was facing when I decided to build this blog.

I was fearing my qualifications and my abilities to ever succeed.

But this is mainly a mindset problem.

You should train your mental capacity because life hits hard and doesn’t care about your insecurities.

You won’t receive that immediate feedback because when you’re starting, everything acts so slowly.

And you can’t tell if you’re progressing or doing it in vain.

At the same time, with social media, you’re always seeing people online who seem further ahead of you.

Their results look bigger, their car looks better, and their financial situation also looks better than yours.

And that’s why the early stage of building something is what defines whether someone succeeds or doesn’t.

Most people quit before seeing results, those who keep going always have a higher chance than those who don’t.

And what separates those who quit from those who don’t is self-doubt.

When you let it control your emotions, you’ll also quit.

Signs You're Letting Self Doubt Control You

Self-doubt doesn’t always feel obvious and direct. Sometimes it may also be disguised as research or even productivity.

Here are the signs it’s actually controlling you:

Second-guessing Decisions You Already Made

You already chose your strategy, your niche, and even your platform, but you keep going back to the same question.

Even though you may think it’s critical thinking, the reality is that it’s not.

You’re feeling self-doubt about your decisions.

When you do that, you aren’t really being productive, you’re spinning in circles.

You Keep Switching Directions

Every few weeks or months, you have a new idea that you want to test.

Not because the old one isn’t working, but because you didn’t give it time to work.

You watch a video on the Internet saying that X idea is better, so you decide to try it out.

But the reality is simple.

Every business model works. Your problem is not dedicating enough time to it to actually be worth it.

You Consume More Than You Create

You watch tons of videos and read guides, articles, and what other people are saying.

And that’s great, but only if you do your own work.

Most people would rather watch 1-hour videos over and over again.

Even though the creator is someone else, most of the time, the content is the same.

If you decide to use that time to do your own work, you’ll be able to see results much faster.

I was just like that. And for me, learning feels much safer than actually doing the work. But that’s an illusion.

You're Waiting To Feel Ready

You keep telling yourself that you’re not ready yet, and you need more time to get better.

But in reality, you don’t need more time to improve, you need to start doing.

When you do something and fail, you are learning.

I keep saying this in some of my articles: there is no perfect time.

And if there was, it was yesterday. The second-best time is today.

You’ll never feel ready. I was always saying that I should improve on this or that.

And I still do, but as I am doing the work, I’m constantly improving on my next article, whether it’s on the title, content, images, or even SEO.

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What Is The Cause of Self Doubt

Being able to understand the cause of self-doubt makes it easier to deal with it.

Childhood Criticism

If you were raised in an environment where you were always being judged, corrected, or criticized, those messages won’t just disappear.

It doesn’t matter if 10 or 15 years have passed, the trauma is still there.

Every time you try something out of your comfort zone, it hits again.

Fortunately for me, I was always free to do whatever I wanted, at least when I was a child.

But as I was getting older, I decided to talk with my parents about my business ideas.

And of all the times I talked with them, there wasn’t one single time when they encouraged me.

They kept saying to focus on school and getting a degree.

Going through that without the right mindset can really affect you and cause doubt in yourself.

Fear of Failure

When you are trying something for the first time, your brain acts like your personal shield.

It’s trying to protect you from taking that risk.

You are constantly surrounded by thoughts about doubt, and that’s just to make you feel safe.

But the problem is that if you keep letting those protective thoughts affect you, you won’t start anything.

You’ll live like anyone else, thinking that they’re stable.

But as one of my teachers once told me: “Stability doesn’t exist.”

You will probably fail, but that’s how you learn.

Overcoming that failure part is when you’ll see results.

Social Comparison

You see someone on your social media with 100,000 followers, and you keep comparing it to yours.

You see someone with a car, a house, and clothes better than yours, and you start to feel bad about it.

But you need to learn that you’re comparing your beginning to someone else’s middle, or even best.

When you’re comparing yourself with someone who has more experience than you, you’ll always feel behind.

You’ll stop being satisfied with your small wins because, for you, it isn’t enough.

But those small wins are the ones that compound and make you grow faster with more motivation to continue.

Unrealistic Timelines

Most people expect results in a month.

Whether it’s losing weight, starting a business, launching a blog, or starting their own personal brand.

When those results don’t come, self-doubt keeps convincing you that your progress is in vain.

But it’s very difficult to see results in 30 days. Especially if it’s something new, and you don’t have the experience or insights.

How to Overcome Self Doubt

Self-doubt won’t disappear, but the best way to overcome it is by not letting it control your decisions.

Identify the Triggers

Before trying to overcome self-doubt, find out what’s causing it.

Is it seeing others online having more results than you? Is it a slow number? Working hard but not seeing the growth?

Stop for a minute and take the time to actually learn how you are feeling.

This is the best way for you to think about overcoming any of your problems, including self-doubt.

Once you identify the reason behind how you are feeling, it stops having the same impact on you.

By doing this, you stop thinking that it’s a general problem about yourself, but a specific problem that can be solved.

Go back to Why You Started

Whenever I’m feeling doubts about my future, or work, or even career, I always try to remember why I started in the first place.

Without this, you’ll always be seeing how much progress you need to make.

Your why is what keeps you from giving up when everything feels unsteady.

Is the reason for you to succeed greater than your reason to give up?

Do you want it so bad that you’ll keep going until you make it happen?

Or are your problems greater than your beliefs and goals?

Learning how to set goals is the best way for you to keep going, even when you’re slowly giving up.

Track Progress No Matter How Small

One of the biggest reasons self-doubt grows is because of slow results when you’re starting to build something.

And that’s why tracking your progress matters more than you think.

If you made a little bit of progress, make sure to write it.

Because when you do that, it’s the same as saying that something is working.

Even if you feel like you’re not progressing, your notes will tell you otherwise.

Self-doubt shrinks when evidence of progress is visible, no matter how small.

Keep Going Anyway

This is the best way to deal with self-doubt.

Most people think it’s about confidence, motivation, or waiting until you’re ready.

But that’s why most people are wrong.

Being able to keep going no matter the circumstances, environment, or progress.

You don’t wait for your doubts to go away to keep improving and keep going.

You go, despite all of your doubts and your insecurities.

Every little progress you make is building the momentum you need to get better, to see results, and to finally overcome it.

Every moment you feel like quitting, every time you think it’s not working, and every time you feel like it’s better to focus on something else.

That’s how you deal, and how you overcome self-doubt.

Not by avoiding it, but by proving it wrong.

Prove your inner voice wrong.

The Difference Between Self Doubt and a Real Sign to Pivot

Even though this post is about self-doubt and how to overcome it, it’s important to notice the difference between fear and if something isn’t working.

Sometimes what you’re building isn’t really working, and that’s not because of your effort.

It can be due to different aspects.

In my situation, the AI overview made my CTR decrease, not because I’m writing worse, but because people would rather have a direct response instead of reading a whole post.

And sometimes you need to analyze what’s happening and if you need to change course.

Self-doubt says, “This won’t work, you should give up.”

This is based on pure emotion, and not on logic.

A real sign to change says: “The data says it’s not working.”

But only after being consistent, rigorous, and putting in enough effort for a long time to have actual evidence.

This is based on results, whether it’s when you’re starting your startup, your social media profile, or anything else.

Have you been consistent for at least 8-12 months?

If the answer is no, then it’s pure emotion.

If you still decide to switch courses, is it because of data, or because of impatience, and because of how you feel?

That’s how I want you to behave.

Before making a permanent decision and deciding to switch, consider giving it enough time to actually have evidence.

I go through this every day. Every time I analyze my data, most of the time I feel overwhelmed.