Elon Musk said:

“When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favour.”

Although it is a nice thing to say, how practical is it? Elon Musk is one of the most successful people on this planet, so of course, there is some truth to what he is saying. He would not be in his position if he did not act upon the statement he said above.

However, for some of us, our goals and ambitions often seem out of our reach. And it is hard to imagine that someone like Elon Musk felt the same way we do. He was once someone with dreams who also had doubters and his own challenges to face.

We are not all destined to be Elon Musk or any other billionaire on this planet. Yet still, we can all get what we want out of life if we pursue our ambitions wholeheartedly.

We will face many challenges and doubters that throw us off our path. In many cases, they will succeed for a short while. In some cases, they can succeed for years.

It took me ten years to consider writing again after being discouraged by my parents. And it took me three years to start writing my first book after feeling doubt that I did not know enough.

Our doubters and our own doubts will divert our path. It is unrealistic to believe that we can just ignore the doubts because we are only human. We do not like failing, and we will always have fears in our lives. What matters is how we continue on our path whilst we doubt and fear.

So, after going through many doubts and fears of my own, here are my three ways to keep going. We can all continue to push towards our end goals no matter what doubts and fears face us.

#1 Embrace the Fear You Feel

Fear is often something that causes us to run. We all have a natural fight or flight system that responds to situations in a flight way. We use fighting as a last resort because it puts us at risk.

The problem is that we need a fighting response to achieve our goals in life. No one ever made it across the finish line first without putting up a fight against the other racers. Most importantly, they also had to fight against themselves with constant training and hard work.

When we doubt ourselves and listen to the doubts of others, we become fearful. Our fears tell us that we are not good enough to achieve our goals. And we do not want to appear as a failure to ourselves or others.

However, by taking a different response, our reality can change. What would happen if we were to embrace the fear? Instead of fleeing from it, we can let it in and allow ourselves to be scared. We can choose to fear our dreams with the full ambition to go towards them.

Embracing your fear is accepting your reality. It is choosing to hold onto your emotion of fear and not let it govern your actions. When we act upon our fears we often seek a way out. However, when we accept our fear and act based on our ambitions, we can keep going.

It may be hard at first, and your doubts may slow you down. However, embracing your fear allows you to take it on the journey with you rather than use it as a means to escape. It is through taking your fear on your journey that you can become a conqueror of it in the end.

#2 Think About Your Future Self

Our doubts can feel correct in the short term. After all, when I was 17 with hopes to write my first book, I was right. I was young and naive, and who would want to listen to me?

Plus, I had never written before. Thanks to my 8-year-old dream being crushed by my parents, I had never had time to develop my skill. So, the book was going to be awful too.

Thanks to these doubts, I delayed writing my book for three years. So, what was my reason for writing my book in the first place if I gave up on it? When I was 19, I thought about my future self. I thought about ten years from then visualised if my 29-year-old self would thank me for never writing that book.

I was scared and tried to find every way I could to see my older self thanking me for not writing the book, but I could not. All I could see was someone with regret for not at least attempting to put their ideas out into the world. It was this short visualising exercise that caused me to start writing.

Our doubts about ourselves can be true, but they are only momentary. They will not last for a lifetime, and we can prove them wrong. Yes, I had no knowledge at 17, but I could have started carrying out research to help me. I could have also begun building my writing skills by starting a blog.

Our doubts are momentary blocks that will more than likely not be there in the future. And it is this knowledge that should keep us going against all odds. The understanding that our doubts are temporary and can be solved can be the source of energy we need to keep going.

#3 Remember You Are So Much More Than What You Think

Before you quit at anything, remind yourself of this one thing. We are often so harsh on ourselves and let others govern for us what true achievement looks like.

We underestimate ourselves, and we also under-appreciate our achievements. Due to this, many of us are walking around believing that we are less than what we are.

Whenever we face a season of doubt or fear, we must ask ourselves this question:

“When have I have overcome doubts and fears in my own life before?”

I can bet you that the first thing you try to do is answer this question with massive achievements. Things like graduating, gaining a reward or proving your parents wrong. However, we overcome doubts in our lives all the time in a small way.

Maybe we thought we would be late to work, but we got there on time. Maybe we cooked something that we thought would not come out great. It is all these small things that prove we are more than we think.

Remind yourself that you have overcome doubts before, and you can certainly do it again. It is through this that you can find the motivation to keep going against all odds.

Closing Thought

One message I hope you get from this is that you are more than you think. If you are a student trying to achieve good grades or someone trying to start a company. Remember that you are more than your doubts and fears.

We can keep going against all odds because we prove we are greater than our odds every day. So, have the courage to prove yourself and others wrong because you can do it.