What If You're More Ready Than You Think? A Kinder Way Through Self-Doubt
Ever know exactly what you want to do — then find your brain has somehow called an emergency committee meeting about it? 🙃
You could be thinking of starting a business, sharing your work, setting a boundary or finally making a decision for yourself. Then the questions arrive: What if I get it wrong? What if they judge me? What if I am not ready?
I recently explored these questions in my Womeniverse workshop, What If You're More Ready Than You Think?, hosted by Women of Our Time. It is a topic close to the heart of The Everyday Mind: psychology for people with 37 tabs open.
Why do capable people still doubt themselves?
Overthinking can be a way of trying to reduce uncertainty. When something matters to us, our minds may rehearse all the possible outcomes in the hope of keeping us safe or avoiding embarrassment. The intention can be protective; the result can be that we never get round to taking the step we care about.
A confident-sounding thought is not necessarily a fact. 'They'll think I'm ridiculous' is a prediction, not a verdict. Being nervous does not automatically mean the decision is wrong, and having doubts does not mean you are incapable.
Three gentle questions to try
1. What do I actually know? Separate the facts of the situation from the story your mind is predicting. You don't need to argue with every thought; sometimes simply noticing the difference is enough.
2. What would make this 5% easier? Instead of demanding a giant leap, make the next step smaller. Draft the message. Book the call. Spend ten minutes sketching the idea. You can revise your plan once you have more information.
3. What would I say to someone I care about? Most of us are considerably kinder to other people than to ourselves. Try borrowing that tone for a moment.
You do not have to wait for 100% confidence
Confidence is not always the starting point. Sometimes it develops through experience: trying something manageable, noticing what happens and learning that you can handle the uncertainty. That's not about forcing yourself or ignoring real barriers — it's about choosing a useful step that suits your circumstances.
If you'd like a friendly, psychology-informed conversation about self-doubt, your inner critic and taking the next step, you can watch my full Womeniverse workshop below.
A free resource to take away
I also made a gentle reflection guide: 5 Questions for When You're Overthinking Everything. You can work through it in your own time, with no motivational shouting and no need to have everything figured out by Monday.
Would it help to talk things through?
I offer warm, practical online 1:1 coaching for women navigating self-doubt, overthinking, confidence and the pressure of holding everything together. We explore your patterns together and find realistic next steps — not a completely new personality.
Thank you to Ieva and the Womeniverse / Women of Our Time community for such a welcoming session. Naomi x
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