I wish that I could live a life free of uncertainty; one that could be predicted the same way as your run of the mill, cliche movie-- but that’s not how life works. Life likes to kick us when we are down; it likes to take us by the hand and whip us around until we are so unsure of where we are, that we can barely see straight. So how is it that anyone is expected to live a “doubt free” life? How are we as people who experience pain, hurt, and disappointment supposed to live blind to that fact that there is so much injustice in this world? The truth is, even the most faithful of people must have doubt about life. The only way to be free of a feeling of insecurity is to not be living. In all honesty, doubt is what makes life so exciting-- doubt is what keeps us striving for better. I know that sounds contradictory, but who wants to watch the same cliche movie again and again: not me. Doubt is what makes life, life; when we feel the most insecure, we are at our maximum capacity to grow.
I personally tend to live in my “safe” box when I can; I love having security, because it was something I was not given when I needed it most. Yet living inside my own little bubble does nothing for me. Giving myself an easy way out only makes my goals fade and my impatience fester. Like most people, when I feel unsure I want to run-- and sometimes I do, but other times I stay along for the ride. When I run, I go to my safe place: my best friend's house. We sit on the couch and watch tv with a pint of ice cream, or take our dogs on long walks through the park. However, as much as I love these moments, I know that they are a way for me to keep myself safe-- my security blanket. When I choose to stay along for the ride and live with insecurity, I find how much potential I have; doubt gave me my first boyfriend, my spot as captain of the soccer team, some of my really close friends, a leadership trip to Switzerland, and the overall amazing feeling that new possibilities come with.
As William Lyon Phelps said, “I think we ought to entertain our opinions with some measure of doubt.” Viewing doubt as negative is a common misconception; in reality doubt could not serve a greater purpose. If we were to be certain about everything, we would never have to take risks, never step outside our comfort zones, never take a leap to see what we are capable of. Life would be boring, overrated, and easy. Nothing about the world we know is simple, so why should we let ourselves believe it should be? When we feel those knots in our stomach forming, we are doing something right; this feeling is nothing but the world telling us that we are on the right path-- our next adventure. We all need to have a little faith that doubt is serving its purpose. Nobody ever hears about people who grow without facing challenges, nobody succeeds at everything on their first try. Our doubt makes us question what is really important, which ultimately leads us to finding who we are.
Lesson #19: Having faith in everything makes one blind, yet having doubt makes one human.
Jess, I really liked your blog this week! I'm glad you were so vulnerable because it makes your writing a lot better by adding personal experiences. But also, it lets people see the real you (which is amazing btw!) Don't doubt yourself (even if it does make one human)
ReplyDeleteHi Jessica! I really love your post, especially when you included all the examples and personal ones. I really liked the part "Nobody ever hears about people who grow without facing challenges, nobody succeeds at everything on their first try." It really made the post more relatable. Thank you for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteWow. I really loved this. We see doubt as such a bad thing, yet it is so important in leading us to opportunities. Your writing is truly beautiful, thanks for yet again another amazing message!
ReplyDeleteAmazing post! I literally wrote about the opposite thing, but this has opened up my eyes!
ReplyDeleteapparently something deleted the rest of what I had to say bc thats just how today is going, but anyways I wanted to add that I can see your point of view of how doubt has accomplished many things, cause if we were certain about everything, we wouldn't try as hard to get stuff done. I can relate to my NHS thing again, because if I was certain I was going to get the position, I wouldn't be trying this hard to get such a perfect video, poster, etc. Love ur message :)
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