Our greatest challenge

Often our greatest challenge is ourselves. Self-doubt can be worse than over-confidence. Over-confidence may lead us to fail but self-doubt can lead us to not even attempt to try something.

Years ago as a part of a job assignment I had, we were required to learn to repel off the side of a building. I have a fear of heights that have, at times, been nearly disabling so this was going to be a real challenge for me. On the day designated to meet for the training we show up at the training facility, an 80 foot repel tower. There were several levels of the tower but we were to ascend the stairs all the way to the top of the tower. I climbed slowly, staying on the inside portion of the open stairway. Ah, we made it to the top. After a brief bit of instruction, we put on our repel harness, who wants to go first asked the repel master? Well, it wasn’t going to be me. The first guy up goes over the side with another repel master and they start to descend when suddenly the first guy’s feet go up and he is hanging upside down about 75 feet off the ground, now I’m really not sure about this. Long story short, I made it down that side of the tower several times that day and this training and exercise became a yearly certification. I still don’t like heights but I can do them.

What does all this have to do with our photography and artwork? Don’t let fear and self-doubt keep you from growing. It is okay to get outside your comfort zone with your art. It is okay to push the limits of your skill and knowledge. Sometimes self-doubt comes from the fear of never having attempted something, sometimes it comes from failing at the first attempts, but over time, training, and experience it can soon begin to fade.