People speak of the fear of the blank canvas as though it is a temporary hesitation, a trembling moment of self-doubt. For me it was more like being abducted from my bed by a clown, thrust into a circus arena with a wicker chair, and told to tame a pissed-off lion in front of an expectant crowd.
Everyone sort of has that voice of self-doubt in their head, but as an artist, you relinquish your right to have that voice.
Fame is hollow. It amplifies what is there. If there is any self-doubt, or hatred, or lack of ability to connect with people, fame will magnify it.
Everything you want to accomplish is already within yourself so when you start to roll in self-doubt and think negative thoughts then you’ll fall off. So keep visualising and keep knowing what you’re destined for, it’ll come to you.
We face a conflict between civilisation and culture, which used to be on the same side. Civilisation means rational reflection, material wellbeing, individual autonomy and ironic self-doubt; culture means a form of life that is customary, collective, passionate, spontaneous, unreflective and irrational.
We face a conflict between civilisation and culture, which used to be on the same side. Civilisation means rational reflection, material wellbeing, individual autonomy and ironic self-doubt; culture means a form of life that is customary, collective, passionate, spontaneous, unreflective and irrational.
Probably the advice I could follow more is the self-love sort of advice. I think, four out of every five days, I’m good at that, but certain situations can trigger self-doubt or cloudiness around how I feel about myself.
I go through different phases where there’s times of self-doubt, but when the bell rings and it’s time to throw down and I get another opponent in my face, I just go to work my best. I fight and usually it turns out well for me.
It’s always a long process of trying to suppress the self-doubt on set when you’re acting.
I have self-doubt. I have insecurity. I have fear of failure. I have nights when I show up at the arena and I’m like, ‘My back hurts, my feet hurt, my knees hurt. I don’t have it. I just want to chill.’ We all have self-doubt. You don’t deny it, but you also don’t capitulate to it. You embrace it.
Everybody, as soon as they do a good experiment, their first thought in this lab is, ‘That can’t be right. I must have screwed it up. What did I do wrong?’ And that’s the best kind of scientist because they’re filled with this self-doubt. And if I’m going to be honest, that’s who I am. And it’s what drives me.
I’d never put much thought into writing an autobiography before, because while I have this public persona of being extremely confident, I also am extremely filled with self-doubt, worry and insecurity. This book came about because I was trying to sell another book, unsuccessfully, about health and wellness.
I do have high standards. I look at everything I have done and think, ‘Why wasn’t that better?’ Part of my motivation is from crippling self-doubt – I have got to prove myself wrong.
I think we all go through those moments of self-doubt.
Soft Sounds’ was really hard for me. I was petrified of the ‘sophomore slump’ so I created an environment to best combat that self-doubt and feelings that my first album was a real fluke.
When you’re winning, your confidence is through the roof, but when you’re losing, that self-doubt is like, ‘Am I doing the right thing?’
When I re-read my diaries, it’s the self-doubt that seems to be prevalent.
I spoke without fear of contradiction. I simply did not suffer self-doubt.
If I’m not nervous, if I don’t have at least a little bit of the same self-doubt and anxious feelings I had when I started playing, then it will be time for me to go on. I must have that tension.
I am always in self-doubt… every moment of my filmmaking. I am supremely confident when the story is being written and everything is in our head. But the moment we get into the filmmaking, I start doubting myself – from the camera angle to the re-recording to getting the actors to do their shots.
It’s very difficult to judge yourself. Extreme self-doubt is only attractive when it’s fictionalized. Which is why people love the movies. They are so reassuring.
The Savior isn’t our last chance; He is our only chance. Our only chance to overcome self-doubt and catch a vision of who we may become. Our only chance to repent and have our sins washed clean.
That’s the downside of total creative control: You’re isolated and after a while you can lose a little perspective. But I’ve taught myself not to listen to my own self-doubt.
I’m not too fond of the hard work and the constant battle with self-doubt that goes on when I write, but I figure that’s part of the territory.
If I’m not nervous, if I don’t have at least a little bit of the same self-doubt and anxious feelings I had when I started playing, then it will be time for me to go on. I must have that tension.
When you’re winning, your confidence is through the roof, but when you’re losing, that self-doubt is like, ‘Am I doing the right thing?’
The thing is, I have never been that confident, and, um, I have a lot of self-doubt, and I had never – I don’t think I ever would have consciously chosen to be a television presenter.
It’s kind of a rule of thumb for me to self-doubt going into any kind of project. I always think that I shouldn’t be doing it and I don’t know how to do it and I’m going to fail and that I fooled them. I always try to find a way out.
Words, especially when yelled in anger, can be very damaging to a child’s self-confidence. The child probably already feels bad enough just from seeing the consequences of his or her behavior. Our sons and daughters don’t need more guilt and self-doubt heaped upon their already wounded egos.
You are bigger than your self-doubt. Remind yourself of that each and every day.
Self-doubt kills talent.
As far as I can tell, most actors’ main motivation is self-doubt and neuroses.
Men display less self-doubt and lead with what seems always like a sense of force and direction. We are not as familiar with women leaders, and so we question their skills. As women, we always need to work harder to prove our competence.
I suffer from an enormous amount of self-doubt, so the fact that ‘Pachinko’ has been so kindly received has encouraged me not to give up, as I’m always telling myself that, ‘Maybe this isn’t a smart idea.’
I have anxiety and self-doubt all the time, it’s a battle.
It’s kind of a rule of thumb for me to self-doubt going into any kind of project. I always think that I shouldn’t be doing it and I don’t know how to do it and I’m going to fail and that I fooled them. I always try to find a way out.
Almost all the ideas we have about being a man or being a woman are so burdened with pain, anxiety, fear and self-doubt. For many of us, the confusion around this question is excruciating.
I think we all go through those moments of self-doubt.
As a writer, you have to believe you’re one of the best writers in the world. To sit down every day at the typewriter filled with self-doubt is not a good idea.
I’m super grateful that there wasn’t social media when I was a kid, but that sort of self-doubt crept in at a young age. It’s bullying. It’s the comments here and there, and maybe somebody says something to you that they don’t even mean to be a mean-spirited comment, but they’ll just kind of say it to you in passing.
My dad, he would go through these periods of self-doubt. We’d do something that was controversial or that wasn’t welcomed by everybody, and he’d go, ‘Well, Shirley, our parents cursed us with ethics, and we passed it on to our children.’
I go through different phases where there’s times of self-doubt, but when the bell rings and it’s time to throw down and I get another opponent in my face, I just go to work my best. I fight and usually it turns out well for me.
Self-doubt is a constant companion for a chubby, gay, black boy born in the South.
Until I really dealt with a lot of the demons in my life – the fear and self-doubt and unresolved issues with my old man – I could never feel fulfilled and happy. I would wake up in the morning and feel bad.
Let all your moments of self-doubt, fear or disappointment fuel your drive to be great. Because it will be in those moments of fear that we have to realize we must redefine success and what it means to us.
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