I couldn’t help but wonder… what if self-doubt wasn’t a detour but a destination?
We all know those moments, the ones that electrify us, where ideas flow like an open faucet and we feel unstoppable. Inspiration hits, and suddenly, we’re lighter, brighter, ready to pour our hearts into the world. But just as quickly, the tide shifts. Self-doubt creeps in like an uninvited guest, settling into the corners of our minds and whispering, Who do you think you are?
We’ve all been there. The bench posts of self-doubt, each one familiar, each one waiting for us to pass through. Some are named Comparison, others Imposter Syndrome (the one I find myself in right now) and then there’s the dreaded Fear of Failure. The hardest part isn’t arriving at them, they are coming whether you want them to or not, but it is about arriving with an open heart. Because let’s be honest, when we doubt ourselves, our first instinct is to close off, to shrink, to protect the softest parts of ourselves from judgment, even if it’s our own.
But what if these moments weren’t meant to break us? What if they were part of the path itself? Every step forward, every stumble back, it’s all part of the dance. The ebb and flow of life, love, and creativity.
Learning to listen to yourself is not a skill you master overnight, it’s a lifelong practice, a conversation that deepens with every setback and triumph. At first, your inner voice might be drowned out by the noise of expectation, fear, or comparison. But the more you pause, the more you lean in, the clearer it becomes. Listening to yourself means trusting that the quiet whispers of intuition carry more truth than the loudest doubts. It means recognizing that self-doubt isn’t always a stop sign, it’s sometimes just a signal to slow down, to check in, to ask yourself what you truly need. Because when you learn to hear your own voice beneath the chaos, you begin to understand that every step, every stumble, every moment of uncertainty is leading you exactly where you need to go.
So the next time you find yourself at one of these bench posts, pause & breathe. Instead of fighting your doubt, sit with it. Listen to what it’s trying to teach you. Give yourself grace. Because this journey, this uphill, winding, messy, beautiful journey, is shaping you in ways you don’t even realize yet.
Maybe the real question isn’t “Why am I here again?” but “What am I ready to learn this time?”
with love, kelsey