Your Doubt Is Your Doorway

Let’s talk about something most of us know all too well: DOUBT.

If you’re like me, you’ve often fallen into the trap of thinking you should have it “all figured out by now”—that you should feel confident and certain of your purpose at this stage of life. But sometimes not living your purpose—your dharma—isn’t because you don’t know what it is. It’s because doubt is standing in the way, blocking the view of your truth like clouds hiding a brilliant blue sky.

We’ve all been there. You want to take that next bold step, show up more authentically, or pursue your dreams—but something holds you back. And more often than not, that something is doubt. It hijacks your thoughts, quietly and cleverly, until suddenly you’re second-guessing your every move and wondering if you’re even on the right path at all!

But what if I told you that the pain of your doubt isn’t there to make you suffer—it’s there to wake you up.

That ache in your heart or that frustration bubbling up? It’s not something to push away. That pain is a message. It’s your soul’s alarm signal saying: “Pay attention!” Just like when you burn your finger on the stove—you don’t ignore it, you tend to it.

This is doubt’s dharma: to get your attention. To help you notice the parts of yourself that are aching to be acknowledged, understood, and integrated.

Sometimes the signal is subtle—a whisper. You feel a twinge of discomfort but brush it off. You stay busy, distract yourself, numb out. But if you ignore it long enough, that whisper becomes a scream. And we all know what happens when we abandon our truth for too long. We become stressed, overwhelmed, even depressed. And that’s not what we’re here for.

The truth is, the pain of doubt has a purpose. It’s pointing you toward something deeper—something seeking to be named and claimed.

As our sage friend Stephen Cope says in The Great Work of Your Life, “No matter how painful the truth may be, it’s usually a relief to acknowledge it.” Yes! There’s a weight that lifts when we stop avoiding and start acknowledging. When we meet our doubt with honesty, we take back our power. We bring it into the light, and that’s where healing begins.

This is the invitation: To recognize the many faces of doubt when they arise. They often show up as fear—fear of failure, fear of not being enough, fear of what others might think … even fear of our own magnificence. But here’s the good news. Doubts only have power when they stay hidden. Once you name them, they begin to loosen their grip.

And that’s when you can begin to take skillful action.

Skillful action doesn’t mean forcing your way forward or pretending the doubt isn’t there. It means being willing to meet it, to listen to it, to transform it.

Because doubt isn’t your enemy. It’s your doorway. When you bump into doubt, don’t ignore it. Don’t deny it or walk past it. Open the door. That’s where your transformation lies. So open, open, open.

Skillful action begins with this awareness. Simply start by saying, “I see you.” Then, turn the handle and step inside. It may feel uncertain or scary at first, but bringing the light of your awareness (along with a little curiosity and courage) will reveal what really lives on the other side of that door—your truth.

Because what you’re stepping into isn’t just the feeling of doubt itself. It’s the tender space underneath it. The part of you that’s longing for clarity, for reassurance, for belonging. When you step inside, you begin to explore: What does this doubt want me to know? What unmet need or hidden desire is it pointing me toward? 

Perhaps it’s the fear of making the wrong choice, which might lead you to discover that you’ve been longing to trust yourself again—to believe that your inner knowing is enough and that your life doesn’t have to follow someone else’s map.

Perhaps it’s the ache to know your life matters, which might reveal a quiet yearning to contribute something meaningful and to feel that your story, your gifts, your presence make a difference in the world.

Or perhaps it’s the quiet question that haunted me a decade ago: Am I allowed to want more than this? And if you know my story, this doubt led me to discover a deeper longing for a life that felt more aligned with what my soul was craving—more truth, more meaning, more me.

Whatever it is, your doubt is your doorway to honor some aspect of yourself that’s longing to be seen, heard, and healed.

Each of us already holds everything we need to live our truth. But first, we must face what’s keeping us from it. We don’t serve the world by staying trapped in old stories that no longer serve us. We serve the world by walking through that doorway and choosing to live in alignment with the full truth of who we are.

So here’s what I want you to really absorb: Your doubt isn’t here to hold you back. It’s here to set you free! When you open those doorways of doubt as they appear along your journey, you’ll find exactly what you’ve been searching for. It’s been there all along, just waiting for you to step inside and remember who you are.