I am about to take a leap, quite a massive one from my perspective, into an industry I don’t yet know.

There has always been self-doubt, it will never go away, no matter how much I am assured, encouraged or supported. Doubt about me, my ability, my potential and my capacity to understand will always be present.

I know why I’m in my field of work. I know I’m good at what I do and how I do it. So why, after all these years, and great success, do I still lack belief in me?

I think I know the answer. I’m just not sure how to accept it. I ask myself often if I even want to?

It’s fear. I’m scared that if I acknowledge the reasons why I do my job, I will become complacent. I worry that if I accept that I’m pretty good at what I do and how I do it, I will become less focused, less determined to be the best I can be.

So do I want to?

In the sector I know, a sector I adore, I definitely could but I don’t want to; I know how it works, what great looks like, what people need to be successful.

In a sector I don’t know, doubt pops up for a chat: “Hello, remember me? Are you REALLY thinking about doing that? Seriously? #ROFL”.

I think it’s almost irrespective how much I believe in myself. That doubt keeps me focused on the job in hand and on what I need to achieve. That doubt will ensure that the person who entrusted me with their business, their people, will have full confidence that I will deliver.

Will I be as successful in an industry I don’t yet know and love? Whilst self-doubt remains, you can bet your house on it.

You may think I’m crazy; why not stay with what I know. Where a known passion lies. Where success is evident.

Why did I take the leap into the unknown? Because it feels right. What happens next is down to me.