Why telling yourself “I don’t know…” isn’t helpful
Sometimes, when I’m doing my work, my brain thinks the thought “but, I don’t know”:
I don’t know how to do this
I don’t know what to write about
I don’t know what to do next
But telling myself “I don’t know” is never helpful. Because it spins me in confusion and indecision.
So, if you’re like me – when you sit down to do your work and your brain starts saying “I don’t know” it isn’t really that useful.
Because that thought doesn’t help you get things done - it’s not like it actually gets you to do your work. Instead, it keeps you looking for all the ways that you don’t know what to do next. And it prevents you from taking action and showing up to create the results you want to create.
And I know that when I’m in the “I don’t knows” - I literally don’t figure out how to do whatever it is that I’m working on. I actually keep myself not knowing how.
The good news is that there’s a way out of this cycle.
I’ve taught myself how to respond to my brain’s “I don’t knows” in a more effective way.
Whenever my brain is spinning out on the “but I don’t know…” story, I challenge myself and I ask “but, what if I did know?”
Now, that is a more helpful question.
It gently nudges me towards other possibilities. It gets my brain scanning for all the ways that I do know how. It helps me get closer to accessing my brain’s inner wisdom!
Because in reality, I actually do know how to do things. And when I don’t, I know how to figure them out.
So, in addition to asking that question, I also intentionally tell myself:
I can figure this out
Everything is figureoutable
I’m the type of person who can solve any problem
This doesn’t mean I have to do it all by myself, or that I can never ask for help.
But those ideas come to me when I’m not spinning out in “I don’t know” confusion.
So next time you find yourself ruminating on how you just don’t know – try this out and see how it works for you!
hi there!
I’m Natasha Tekeste.
I work with women who want to shift their beliefs around money and wealth so they can leave the drama behind and focus on actually doing work that they love to do.
