Doubt, she is so misunderstood.  

All around us, we are encouraged to release our doubt about ourselves. The first question then is, what self is this referencing to, and secondly, what is the problem with doubt, and why do we need to release it?

 

In our world doubt is like an illness, we apply it to our worth, questioning our value and what that value could be. In sessions with my clients, I must address that inner critic daily. In time, I came to a 3-word self-love definition – Kind Inner Voice.

 

The problem here is that the function of doubt is misunderstood. 

 

Doubt’s function is to generate questioning about the how, the what, and the when of our actions. This function ensures that we act appropriately in each situation. Based on our design and the situation, in conjunction with the moral code of non-injury. 

 

Unfortunately, we apply doubt to our worth. We question our value, we use this questioning function, but our application point is incorrect. In this way the encouragement to drop self-doubt is correct.

 

Bringing us back to the first question of the self we need to release the doubt from. This self refers to the design we received, rarely do people refer to Self as their true nature of Awareness. 

 

The design is the apps installed upon birth. Spending time with children will show that each child comes with their array of apps and, it is clear from an incredibly young age that some of these are significantly different from their parents. 

 

This design, however, does not refer to the ideas we build up about our tendencies, these likes and dislike that we take as set in stone. These are the stories we are told about our tendencies and the stories we make up ourselves about it as we grow older. Unbeknown to us, liking/disliking our design is not required for the functioning of the design. 

 

From this point of view, the self feels insignificantly small and limited. And this is what leads to the misapplication of doubt because we take ourselves to be something small and limited, applying doubt to our worth. 

 

Ancient knowledge, Vedanta, points to another Self, that is whole and complete, ever-present, our Self as Awareness. 

 

I often ask clients in sessions what gives them worth. Invariably they will provide a list of all the doings they command and attend. They are surprised when I point to the fact that we have worth because we exist. When a baby is born, we do not gather to discuss the worth of that baby in correlation with all their doings, we see their worth because they exist.  

 

When does it change? When do we lose our inherent worth as Divinely created and have to do things to show our worth? 

 

Doubt has a particularly important part to play in navigating what is nourishing to us and what is poisonous if applied to the how, when, and where we act instead of who we are. 

 

Doubt helps us to ponder our next move and how that action will affect others. It is apparent in our world today that doubt is not employed correctly, as consideration for others and how our actions will impact them seems to be the last of our concerns. 

 

Acting without pausing and reflecting on our actions leads to the world of ills we witness. Further, not assessing our value leads to most people being paralyzed from doubt, unable to act in fear of not being good enough. Which is the incorrect application of doubt.

 

The question now remains. How will life change if you applied doubt to how, when, and where you acted, instead of who you are?

 

 

The blog is based on Vedanta principles. You can learn more about these principles by using the following links.

https://www.bodytalkwithlucua.com/vedanta/ 

https://www.shiningworld.com/about/