Episode #147 Doubt Is Okay

Three Problems

• Some things – maybe even many things – that we believe today are not true.
• We are more likely to believe small evidence that is nearby than large evidence that is far away.
• We are more likely to experience doubt in times of challenge, crisis, and confusion.

Eight Principles

• Doubt is as simple as believing that there might be a reason not to believe.
• We will experience more growth when we express our doubts than when we suppress them.
• Belief and doubt operate more like a dimmer than an on-off switch.
• Doubt is not something we should dismiss but something we should deal with.
• We don’t need to rush the decision to trust or doubt, but we can patiently wait until more evidence is available.
• It is possible, and often even healthy, to hold doubt and belief in the very same hand.
• Not knowing all the answers is an essential part of being fully human.
• Those with a tendency to trust more than doubt may occasionally be fooled, but they will far more often be full.

Three Practices

• When you experience doubt in the present, remind yourself of the evidence you considered in the past.
• Ask yourself, “How can I be okay even in the worst-case scenario?”
• Become comfortable with the phrase, “I am not certain, but I am convinced.”