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How to manage self-doubt even when you’re successful

By 12/03/2021November 28th, 2023I Need Help Building My Side Hustle
how to manage self doubt

How does self-doubt show up for you in your work and in your life? Is it something you’re constantly battling?

I’ve seen that self-doubt doesn’t necessarily go away, even after you’ve experienced success.

When Luaskya Nonon joined Work Bigger, I saw she had a deep desire to make an impact on the world. She was working as a successful attorney but her work wasn’t making her happy. Although she knew she wanted something different, pursuing her dream seemed like a big risk, especially as a single parent of two kids.

I saw Luaskya’s courage to dive into the work from the beginning. Following the work she did to find her mission, she’s now launched her own consulting business.

To get here, she had to tackle her own self doubt and embrace that pursuing her dream was also an opportunity to lead by example for her children.

In this interview, Luaskya and I talk about:

  • Feeling unhappy in a career where you’re very successful
  • Navigating the fear that success may not come again
  • Pursuing your dream as a working single parent

Do you have goals you’re afraid of pursuing? Are you navigating challenging life circumstances that might be keeping you from pushing forward with your goals? If this feels relatable in any way, I want you to read this Work Bigger Story.

Here is how Luaskya used her fear as an opportunity to lead.

Where were you in your career journey when you joined the Work Bigger Group Coaching membership? What were some of the things you were hoping to get out of being part of this community?

When I was introduced to Work Bigger, I was unhappy in my career as an attorney. I felt very unfulfilled. I had been on a journey to gain clarity around my mission and purpose, but I wasn’t equipped to achieve either goal by myself. I always knew that my mission involved advocating for others and being of service, but I didn’t have clarity on how that mission would translate into a role that was fulfilling, enjoyable, and profitable.

What have you accomplished since joining the membership?

In my time with Work Bigger, I’ve done a lot of introspective work. I uncovered my personal values and identified the things that I’m passionate about. I gained a level of clarity that I always wanted but didn’t know how to achieve on my own. That clarity helped me to craft my mission statement.

I was then able to envision a role which combines my values, passion, and mission — a role which I believe will also be fulfilling, enjoyable, and profitable. As a result, I became a certified diversity practitioner and started my own consulting firm, Equity Principle Consulting. At Equity Principle Consulting, we help companies create more inclusive and equitable corporate cultures.

I have Work Bigger and the Work Bigger community to thank for being where I am today in this process. I am so grateful to Belma and the community for how generously they poured into me along the way. I hope that my contribution to the community is just as much of a blessing.

Tell me about how you’ve been putting your mission to use.

My mission is to help clients make equity-conscious decisions, create more inclusive workplaces, and leverage their diverse workforce to be more competitive in the marketplace. At Equity Principle Consulting, this mission and my personal values are the bedrock upon which we base every client interaction, published article, and speaking engagement.

What challenges have you faced and how have you overcome them?

When I started working with Work Bigger, I was very concerned that any pursuit of my mission would require a change in lifestyle for my family. As a single mom, the idea that my children would go without so that I could realize my mission was a sacrifice I was not willing to make!

But I was so unfulfilled in my career that I needed to do something. I realized that I was doing my children a huge disservice by not pursuing my mission. So, I began to do the work.

I had to work through some mindset issues in order to fully embrace my mission. The primary challenge I needed to overcome was self-doubt. It presented itself in many forms; the two most prevalent ways were questions regarding my decision-making practices and fear that pursuing my mission would not work out or be successful.

Let me preface this by stating that the act of “overcoming” something is an ongoing process. It may never be fully accomplished. Nevertheless, I “overcame” self-doubt by doing the work to quell those voices and those feelings.

I identified the decisions that I previously second-guessed. I thought about the circumstances surrounding those decisions. I analyzed my thought process when making those decisions. Then, I concluded that those decisions were made based on the information available to me at that time — not on emotion but on the evidence at hand. I then began to accept that the decision was sound and I refused to hold myself responsible for the actions or decisions made by others in the situation.

As for the fear that pursuing my mission would not work out or be successful? That concern still exists. But as a woman of faith, I try not to operate from a place of fear. So, I’m stepping out on faith and doing the work necessary to mitigate that risk in order to find joy and fulfillment in my career.

Is there anything else you want to share?

Equity Principle Consulting is off and running. I am meeting with potential clients and sharing observations and advice on ways in which they can improve their company culture to be more inclusive and equitable.

The future is bright for Equity Principle Consulting and I am so excited to be on this adventure!

Now we’d love to hear from you. What are you taking from Luaskya’s story? What steps can you take to face self-doubt?

 

P.S. Make sure to download our workbook, Attach to a Purpose, Not a Job to get clarity on what you want, faster!

Work Bigger Team

Author Work Bigger Team

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