Conquering Self-Doubt: It’s Not About Surviving – It’s About Thriving By Abdol Moabery

Author: gatelesis

Throughout my career, I’ve faced plenty of high-pressure situations—making life-altering decisions, leading complex negotiations, and even serving in the military. But the moment I felt the most nervous might surprise you. It wasn’t during a significant business deal or a critical decision like quitting my job to start GA Telesis just a year after getting married and a month after my son was born. I was most nervous when I gave a commencement speech at my business school graduation. To this day, that experience stands out as a moment when I truly doubted myself and had to confront my nerves head-on.

In the month leading up to the event, I would lie awake at night thinking, what am I going to say? I felt this overwhelming pressure to deliver something profound, to leave my classmates with words that would resonate long after we left the ceremony. It wasn’t just about saying the right thing but about making a lasting impact. I wanted them to remember my words beyond that day.

I cycled through different ideas—talking about leadership, innovation, and perseverance—but none of them felt quite right, perhaps too cliché. Then, as the day got closer, everything clicked. It all came together, and I knew exactly what I had to say—I wanted to talk about making an impact on the world, but that it started by making an impact on your own life. I sat down, and in one fell stream of consciousness, I drafted my speech

I was scheduled to be the second speaker of the day. When I sat down and listened to the first speaker, my confidence evaporated. The first speech was polished, articulate, and covered topics that seemed almost too perfect. My immediate thought was that I’d made a huge mistake. I started wondering if I could just get up there and change everything on the spot. Maybe I should ad-lib something, make it sound similar to what the other speaker had just said, and blend in. Panic began to set in as I seriously considered scrapping my prepared remarks.

But at that moment, I realized that I had to stay the course. I had my own story to tell, my own message to share. So, I stuck with what I had prepared, trusting that my perspective would resonate with my classmates in a way that was unique to me.

When it was my turn, I walked up to the podium, still nervous but determined to deliver my own message. I began by talking about how life is full of moments when we are called to make an impact—moments when we must take risks that could change our path. I connected this idea to one of history’s greatest examples of impact: Sir Isaac Newton’s discovery of gravity.

I shared with my classmates how Newton introduced the concept of gravity to a world that perhaps wasn’t fully ready to embrace such a revolutionary idea. His discovery wasn’t just about science; it was about challenging the status quo and shifting the way people understood the world around them. Newton made a profound impact, even though society wasn’t immediately prepared for what he was saying.

In tying this to my message, I told my classmates that like Newton’s discovery of gravity, there are moments in life when we must introduce something revolutionary—something that challenges the status quo. Life is full of risks. It’s tempting to keep doing what we’ve always done just to survive. But now is the time to stop doing what we do to survive and to start doing what we need to do to thrive. You must make your own impact, even if the world isn’t ready for it.”

I shared this in the context of my own life-altering decision: quitting my stable job and founding GA Telesis just a year after getting married and only a month after my son was born. It was a huge risk. There was no guarantee of success, and the pressure of providing for my new family was real. But I knew that staying in my comfort zone wasn’t going to lead to thriving—it was just surviving. I had to take the leap and make an impact, even if it meant stepping into the unknown.

My message to my classmates was clear: don’t settle for what’s familiar or safe. Push yourself to challenge assumptions, take risks, and create something meaningful. Just like Newton’s discovery, making an impact often requires stepping outside of your comfort zone and introducing something the world may not be ready for.

As I wrapped up the speech, I could see the message resonated with my classmates. They weren’t looking for a perfect or polished speech. They wanted something real, something they could relate to. I didn’t need to be profound; I just needed to share what I believed and speak from the heart.

Reflecting on that experience, I learned an important lesson: nerves are part of the process, no matter how confident you may appear. The key is to push through them, focus on making an impact, and stay true to yourself. At the end of the day, people don’t remember you for delivering a flawless speech; they remember authenticity.

So, for you out there who are facing a big moment—whether it’s a presentation, a decision, or something life-changing—know that it’s okay to feel nervous. Embrace it. You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to be your best self, the authentic one.