People Who Often Doubt Themselves Almost Always Have 6 Wise Traits
retoncy | Shutterstock Usually, when someone is described as having a lot of self-doubt, it's framed in a negative way. However, just like anything else, doubt can also keep us in check. In fact, it often comes with some wise traits.
Wise traits of people who have a healthy dose of self-doubt:
1. They show humility
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People who doubt themselves can also be individuals with a deeply grounded view of themselves. Remember, self-doubt isn't the same as insecurity.
When you're able to question yourself and recognize that you might not always be right, you're practicing humility. As Rick Warren wrote in "The Purpose Driven Life," "Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less."
2. They think critically
If you often find yourself doubting yourself, this could prompt you to ask questions about a specific problem or situation in your life. Sometimes, that quick little double-check can open the door to thinking something through more carefully.
Instead of immediately accepting your first thought or reaction, you start looking at the situation from different angles. Once you start working through the problem, the emotional side of self-doubt can begin to settle. Now you've just successfully turned all that overthinking into a little critical-thinking exercise!
3. They self-reflect
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Taking a step back and analyzing your life from a more unbiased perspective can start with that little sliver of doubt you have about something. The hardest thing in life is to know who you are, and when you never double-check or look back at your past actions and choices, you're not giving yourself the chance to learn and grow.
Sometimes, doubting a decision you've made can be what pushes you to look back and ask yourself why you made it in the first place. Maybe you realize you could have handled a situation differently, or perhaps you discover that you actually made the right choice. Either way, you're learning something about yourself.
4. They can adapt
Not being overly confident or cocky allows you to recognize how a plan could fail and consider an alternate route, or a plan B. If you're too set on something and even a small thing goes wrong, you might struggle to figure out how to fix the problem or adapt to the new situation.
Understanding that you can fail at things, or at least allowing that possibility to enter your mind, makes it easier to prepare for unexpected situations. You don't have to assume everything will go wrong, but recognizing that things might not go according to plan can help you be more flexible when they don't.
5. They hold themselves accountable
Now, just like with anything else, apologizing too much, especially for things out of your control, can be a bad thing. However, when you are actually wrong, owning up to it is imperative. It's also one of the hardest things in life.
Doubt and accountability can go hand in hand because when you question your own decisions, you also leave room for the possibility that you made a mistake.
Being able to recognize when you're at fault and take responsibility for your choices is a generally positive trait. It shows self-awareness and respect for the people around you. Rather than automatically assuming you're right, you're willing to look at your own actions and consider whether you could have done something differently.
6. They have a strong work ethic
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Lastly, people who often doubt themselves may work harder to overcome that doubt. They push themselves to improve and accomplish what they've set out to do. If you're able to motivate yourself, sometimes that little bit of doubt can be what pushes you forward.
Of course, there's a difference between using doubt as motivation and constantly feeling like you're not good enough. You don't have to prove your worth through your accomplishments, and working yourself into the ground isn't the goal. But when you use self-doubt as a reason to improve and keep going, it can become something useful rather than something that holds you back.
See what I'm getting at here? Doubt can sometimes be a catalyst for personal growth and help you develop some pretty valuable traits. So, don't always view it as a negative. Sometimes, questioning yourself is exactly what helps you become a wiser person.
Julia McNulty is a writer with a Master’s degree in Literary & Cultural Studies who specializes in lifestyle, relationship, culture, and human-interest topics.
