You know you've heard from it: The Voice of Doubt. This is the voice in your head who rocks your faith in yourself by seeding doubt with questions and statements such as, "Who the heck do you think you are?" or "Are you sure?" or "We've been here before, and look what happened last time!" or "You don't know anything!" or "What the hell are you thinking?" and more, much more: That voice can be pernicious! And it pops up at the most inopportune times, such as times when we need to make important decisions, or when we are carving out a new path.
Where in the world did this voice come from, anyway? The answer probably is a mixture of others' voices we've heard over the years: Parents, friends, colleagues, teachers, loved ones, even complete strangers contribute to our doubts. And then there are the beliefs we build up based on evidence of our travails and booboos. The booboos and travails prove--to our minds--that we are not to be trusted with making good choices and decisions. So we seek outside advice and seek out sources who will "Tell me what to do!"
In recent times, there's been plenty of opportunity to doubt ourselves. More importantly, we doubt that we are making any difference at all, which still boils down to not trusting ourselves. The evidence is there: even with our good intentions, people lie to us or cheat us or terrify us, and bad and upsetting things happen.
My theory: Seeding thoughts of doubt is an attempt to destabilize us and our inner trust by the same old Forces that have been at it for thousands of years. I call them the Forgetful Forces, because they have profoundly forgotten their connection to Creator (and frankly, I do not want to feed them any more power than they already have by calling them Evil or Dark forces, because I think they like that kind of attention.)
I realize this theory sounds kind of "out there", and if so, perhaps you can just view this as an old paradigm we've been operating under. Whether Force or Paradigm, the goal seems to be to keep us stuck in fear and doubt so that we are more open to seek guidance and answers from sources that might not have our best intentions in mind.
I believe its time to blaze a new trail of trust in ourselves, so we can help carve out healthier and sustainable ways of living on this planet.
So may I suggest: Anytime the Voice of Doubt comes up, listen, but don't get to attached to the message.
Ask and demand an answer from your highest knowing: "Is this [statement or question of doubt] true?"
When in doubt about a choice, trust your initial intuition or gut instinct. It's usually the right choice for you. or Step back and pause to pray or meditate on the choice. When certainty returns, you can move forward with confidence.
I have lots more to say about this, but for now, I say: I trust you--your true self-- to know what's best for you. Always.
blessings, Elke