Doubt

I’m stuck.

For over 2 years I haven’t been able to write.

It’s not that I’ve not been able to write, it’s that I have chosen not to write.

There seems to be a mystical force blocking my hand when it comes time to publish and until now I did not recognize this invisible enemy–doubt.

I began writing in 2016. At first, to grow an audience and increase my business, but over time it became something more. By the end of 2017 I created a monthly newsletter, started a weekly podcast and published my first book. My goal–to become a storyteller.

You see, storytelling is the ultimate skill in building an audience and ultimately growing an enterprise.

Good stories have the power to engage, encourage, and inspire. They have the ability to capture attention and elicit action.

Here is the conundrum: to elicit action from your audience you need one very important ingredient–belief.

Author Simon Sinek in his book Start with Why proclaims “people buy what you believe.” In other words, people will follow you and support your endeavor if they can get behind your vision. Where are you going? What is your cause?

That’s been my problem for over 2 years now. I’ve begun to doubt what I truly believe.

Ironically, my beliefs began to be challenged one month after my book (where I published my business beliefs) was published in 2017 and have been in a state of flux since.

When I say my beliefs, what I mean is my underlying core understanding of the world around me. How I view God. Existence. Science. Religion. Discipline. Purpose. The truly important topics in life.

What happens to the human psyche when the very underpinnings of your beliefs are taken from you?

As someone who is finally coming to terms with my new circumstance I can tell you, it’s a traumatic experience.

The first thing you lose is your confidence. Next comes your voice. Then comes loss of relationships. Your beliefs, the foundation of how you view life and business ARE EVERYTHING.

Beliefs fuel your purpose. This is a big deal.

If my intuition is correct I’m not the only one experiencing this phenomenon. You too, might be questioning the world around you. Maybe you’re now entering the same place I was a few years ago and you’re wondering how to move forward with all of these doubts.

I can’t really give you advice, but what I can do is share how I’m coping.

I realized there are some fundamental things that will never change. Creation. The beauty of nature. The wonder of art. The goodness of God and His love for people.

Once I realized that no matter how one views science, religion, or politics, our relationships ultimately are what matters. First our relationship with the Creator, then our relationships with one another.

God is good. He wants me to build these relationships and help people along the way. Despite my confidence. Despite my beliefs. Despite my doubts.

Onward.

Moving. Building. Investing.