DOUBT, ...

as a sign is a beautiful concept

When “When the Thing You Prayed For Becomes the Thing You Fear” went live on Substack, one of the few who reached out was Aldrich Appiah . He shared a two-paged long write-up on doubts. These thought came to him, in connection to my post.

I thought it was too interesting a read to not share with the ton, you’re all welcome.

This is a collaborative post between Aldrich Appiah and I. But mainly his thoughts!

and here it goes.

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

Aldrich Appiah here and to start off, let me just say:

The word “Doubt” intrigues me. It drives so much interest in me that it’s ranked on my top list of most important words.

DOUBT is described as the state of being unsure of something; uncertainty about the truth, factuality, or existence of something. It’s viewed as a lack of confidence.

BUT, what if we viewed DOUBT as more of a signal?

A sign that something is probably not going to work. Because we all can agree that doubt oftentimes has a negative connotation to it.

Although if it is viewed as a sign, then it holds that it doesn’t just signal if something is not meant to happen but also when something should happen. Hence, it’s not all negative thinking of DOUBT.

I like to think of doubt as a sign than a state. A sign that reads: “Don’t do it.”

And also viewing from a positive angle, a confirming feeling about something waiting consideration.

My whole life, I have constantly viewed DOUBT as a sign. A sign with three levels to it.

1. You could doubt at the beginning.

2. You could doubt while doing and during.

3. You could doubt when you are almost at the top or almost done.

Here’s why I think so.

When I doubt at the beginning, I think it’s a sign that I should not engage. A sign that whatever it is will not work. A sign that, if I ignore it, I will later understand why I should never have began. tricky right?

I say this because over time, it’s been like that. Two years before completing my undergraduate degree, while on a journey to becoming more self-aware and learning to understand myself fully, I began to notice patterns in my life, in decisions about career, relationships, and more.

I have hence recognised the pattern more fully. When I doubt from the beginning of any relationship, career choice, or any major decision, and I still indulge, it almost always turns out poorly. That realisation has opened my eyes to seeing things differently. It has moved me to having difficult conversations in relationships, and to making firm and difficult decisions.

By treating early doubt as a signal, I’ve become decisive. I stick to my decisions. I don’t regret them, because eventually, clarity arrives. Then it makes sense why there was no need proceeding with whatever.

Now to doubting while doing or during, I believe that’s slightly different. That level of doubt is just to test you. To question your thoughts in ways that you ask, “Should I really be doing this?”

Mind you, at this point you’ve already committed to doing. From the beginning of it, you had confidence. If it were a relationship, you didn’t doubt you liked the person. You were confident about the emotion towards them and went straight into it.

Hence, when such doubt arivves, it’s a sign to keep moving along or better still recalibrate and quit if you need to.

I see this happening with people who quit the job they had always wanted. The doubt you feel while doing or during is a sure sign to make a decision that will make or unmake you.

Doubt as a sign is a beautiful concept. It could help people be more decisive, live by the decisions they make, and forge forward.

The final level of doubt, the kind that arrives in place of satisfaction: Doubting at the end, or at the point where you are supposed to recognise as your highest.

I believe this is simply uncertainty after achievement. Are you supposed to just appreciate the achievement or can you want more without coming off as greedy and dissatisfied ? I think though it could be so, this level of doubt oftentimes arrives to keep you grounded, to help you refocus and consider all angles.

Note that, this level of doubt is a sign not to quit yet. It informs you that you are on the right path, you have done well, and you may just need to reapply some pressure or adjust to solidify what you’ve built.

And this is how I think about doubt, as a sign in decision-making, a prompt to act and commit.

Personally, this is how I’ve approached doubt in my life. I can boast of not being too much of a doubtful person. I hardly doubt anything. Regardless, I appreciate the clarity it brings when I do.

I like that when I make decisions, I stay with them. I don’t regret them. Every time I’ve ignored early doubt, clarity later revealed why I shouldn’t have proceeded.

I could even link this to some kind of heavenly help in decision-making, a way of feeling and seeing intuitively that something may not be right for you.

So yes, doubt to me is a sign. And it’s incredible.

Photo by Javier Allegue Barros on Unsplash

I am certain about my life and where I am. I don’t doubt that I’m doing well. I don’t doubt that my life will be better.

My doubt is not even about where I am. It is a signal about where I am going.

These are my thoughts. And I love it.

And I am interested to know what you think. What is doubt to you outside of what the dictionary teaches?

Nabi here with just a quick add on.

I would love to rehash the inspiring words of a faithful religious leader. In a recent devotional at BYU with church leader and Prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Pres. Dallin H. Oaks. He shared, “The way to overcome DOUBT(S) is to get closer to Jesus Christ”

Let that sit with you. Also, you can watch my discussion on his teachings here: “Overcoming Doubts”

Thanks for staying till the end.