Behind almost every good idea, every invention, and every successful person, there was some doubt along the way. At one point or another, many of us ask ourselves, can I really do this? The answer you give yourself is pivotal in deciding whether or not you will fail or give yourself the opportunity to succeed. This is why it is time to stop doubting yourself and start believing in yourself and your goals.

When you’re young, you have limited resources and limited experience. We’ve been stuck in academia for the last 16 years and we’ve yet to actually step foot into the real world. College students don’t know how the world works, and how should they? We’ve had our noses in books and our eyes on our computers for all of these years. Because of this, it’s very easy to visualize where we want to be in 10 years; but it’s very difficult to envision how exactly we will actually get there. We are used to getting a syllabus, where everything is mapped out for us. Whereas in our professional and personal lives, there is no exact road map to take and there is no syllabus given.

While we can’t control what lies ahead of us in life, all of us can approach how we will deal with the ups and downs that we will face. A big factor in that approach is whether or not you have belief in yourself. Now, this isn’t a yes-or-no answer, as belief comes in many shapes and forms. For me, there are some days when I have great belief in what I am doing and how I am doing it. Other days, I just simply doubt myself. I worry that I might have taken on too much or that I might just not have the skills and abilities needed to be successful in what I am trying to do; I’m sure this is how much college students are. Most of us have some belief in ourselves, but at times question their abilities to make it in the real world. It’s very easy to be confident around friends and on social media, but deep down inside, just about all of us experience doubt quite frequently; we just don’t share that part of our lives with others.

I don’t really like to say this, but in some cases, I thrive on my own personal doubt to help push me to be better. Sometimes doubting myself forces me to problem solve and become dedicated to finding solutions to my problems. This probably isn’t a great strategy, but if it helps push me further in life, then I’m all for it.

For our whole lives, we have been told to dream big, however, we are now at the age where dreaming isn’t enough. Now is the time to start achieving and succeeding in life.

Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.