Abraham On Doubt

The worst is when you ask a question and the other person doesn’t answer properly.  You ask them which they like more orange juice or apple juice and they answer coffee.  Well, that’s kind of what Abraham did when asked about how to get rid of doubt.  They said something like, “You get rid of doubt before you get it.”  What kind of answer is that?  What does it even mean?

First, let’s talk about doubt.  Doubt is when you’re not sure.  If you don’t feel confident about your ability to pass a test, you are having doubts.  If two people look at you, whisper and laugh and you wonder if they are making fun of you, you are experiencing doubt.  As a feeling, it is not seen as negatively as anger or depression and is even encouraged at times.  If you are at an important crossroads and you make a decision without getting all wobbly about it (should I go left or right?), people look at you funny.

It’s like they think doubt is a good feeling to experience.  Don’t believe me?  Pro-Con Lists should be called Doubt Lists because that’s exactly what they are.  Their very structure makes you oscillate between yes and no.  So doubt is socially acceptable, but anyone who’s experienced it knows it’s not a good feeling at all.  And though it’s not one of the big, loud emotions, constant doubt can really wear you down.  But you don’t need any reasons to get rid of it—you don’t need to experience doubt about whether or not to entertain doubts.  If you have been reading this blog, you know a thought that doesn’t feel good isn’t good.

Now that we all agree doubt is no bueno, let’s come back around to Abe’s answer.  How do you get rid of something before you get it?  By being super careful and making sure it never comes into your life in the first place.  A little tip to help you out there.  You can never think of more than one thing at a time.  Try it.  Think of passing your test and at the same think of getting an F on it.  Maybe you were able to think of one scenario and then really quickly switch to the other, but that’s it.  You simply cannot focus on more than one thing at the exact same time.  That means you cannot entertain a doubtful thought and a clear thought together.  Cannot be done.  So what happens if you stuff your head full of clear, sparkling thoughts?  There is no room left for doubt.  Easy?  Easy.