The last few weeks (months, years…) I’ve been working on a yoga pose that requires simultaneous rolling and binding (See below for video) Over the last few days, I have begun making progress (although there is still a sneakers-in-the-dryer feel to the whole thing… thump, bang, what was that?)
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Yesterday, as I lay on my back gathering my nerve my teacher said to me,
“If you are pausing because you have doubts—questions you need answered before you roll—that’s one thing. If you are pausing just because have doubts swirling around in your mind—doubts that will not change the outcome—then you might as well do the pose with conviction.”
This struck me as excellent advice on or off the yoga mat.
Say, for example, you have a big presentation tomorrow. You’re prepared: you have your stories and your research, you’ve practiced out loud, you’ve built in ways to interact with your audience, etc. but you’re lying awake at 3 a.m. having a tiny panic attack.
Are your doubts serving you—or are you serving them?
Alternatively, perhaps tomorrow is the day of your big job interview. You’re prepared: you’ve researched the firm and the competition, you’ve thought of the worst three questions you might be asked (and the answers) you’ve got your pressed blue shirt so you pop on camera but your nerves are so crummy you’re biting the heads off your loved ones.
Are your doubts serving you—or are you serving them?
You get the idea…
So the next time you find yourself in a vortex of doubt, take a moment to ask yourself: am I having these doubts because I need more clarity/preparation or are these just free-floating doubts?
Because if nothing about them is going to change the outcome then—as my teacher said—you might as well approach the situation with conviction.
If you do have questions about how to prepare for your presentation, take a look at “Don’t Be a Tea Bag (They Only Work in Hot Water)”
Or, if you have questions about how to prepare for your job interview, take a look at “Snap! Answers to the Three Most-Dreaded Interview Questions”
