You'll never get rid of self doubt

Dear Founder,

I’ve always had that nagging voice whispering (sometimes shouting) that “you're not good enough”, “you're not smart enough”, “you're an imposter just waiting to be found out”.

Last month, I gave a talk to budding founders about how they can launch their first MVP. A process which I’ve executed countless times across my previous 3 startups.

I know all the MVP frameworks, the design process, the tech stack, pretty much everything you need to get your MVP out there. 

But during the talk, I still felt nervous. My inside voice was saying, “Why should these founders even trust me?”.

Since that talk, I’ve now realised this feeling never goes away.

Trying to eliminate self doubt is like trying to hold back the tide. It just cannot be done. Wherever you go you’ll always feel like an imposter.

Why?

Because self doubt is often a feature of high performers. High performers constantly push boundaries into the unknown. This means rigorously stress testing their own assumptions, finding flaws in their own thoughts, generating new thoughts on the back of it, and maintaining relentless self honesty.

So today, instead of fighting that inside voice:

1. I acknowledge it.

2. I understand it's tied to the drive for my self improvement. 

3. I respect the diligence it encourages in my own work.

You should too.

Keep building.

Ishan