Keep Doubting Yourself? A Former Navy SEAL Says Embrace This Mindset to Be More Persistent, Resilient, and Successful

It’s normal to doubt yourself when you’re struggling to achieve a huge goal. The key is to change your perspective on self-doubt.

EXPERT OPINION BY JEFF HADEN @JEFF_HADEN

Navy SEALs jump from the ramp of a C-17 over Virginia.. Photo: Getty Images

To paraphrase Steve Jobs, what often separates success from failure is perseverance. Keep going, and you still have a chance to succeed. Quit, and all hope of success is lost.

Still: when things get difficult and the odds of success seem bleak, doubt naturally sets in, and drains away your willpower, determination, and motivation… until you quit.

Which means you failed.

That’s why most people try to push away self-doubt, because they know confidence is key. They try to keep their heads down, stay positive, stay focused. They try to avoid self-doubt.

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But they shouldn’t. You shouldn’t. Doubt is normal. Doubt is part of the process. Somewhere along the way, we all may question whether we will actually accomplish something difficult.

But as retired Navy SEAL Sean Haggerty told me, there’s a huge difference between doubt and failure:

Don’t confuse doubting yourself with accepting failure.

Don’t confuse doubting yourself with accepting failure.

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