Something’s been on my mind for a while …
Many people email and ask me on Twitter about whether or not they’ll ever like they “know their stuff” when it comes to their role as a designer.
“Will I ever feel like I know what I’m doing?”
“Will I ever stop feeling like a fraud?”
“Will I ever stop doubting myself?”
All I can say is, honestly probably you won’t. It’s true. I really believe that creative people have this strange dosage of self-doubt that in some strange manner, forces us to keep going.
So how do you overcome this? Part of it is confidence and trusting the process. You have to believe that your hard work will pay off. You have to believe that you do know your stuff. You have to believe that everything you’re doing is laying a solid foundation. At some point, you just have to trust the process and stop trying so hard.
I’m a runner, and running is largely mental. Of course, you have to condition yourself physically. But ultimately, you have to get over the doubts in your head. Just this weekend I did a half marathon (13.1 miles) and mid-way through I had to convince myself mentally that I could do it. I had to trust the process. I had to trust that the previous 2 months of training would carry me through the end of the race. I wanted to quit once, but I I didn’t give in.
I’d love to hear from you. Do you doubt your skills? Do you wonder if you really know what you’re doing? Do you wonder if you’ll ever stop feeling like an imposter (p.s. congrats if you don’t). If so, leave a comment below and let me know. I’m brainstorming some ideas on this topic and I’d love to hear from you.