Critical Thinking Word of the Day: Conviction

Conviction means absolute certainty, to be sure, to be confident, to have no doubt.  As, I have said before, I always like to look at the flip side of the coin, or the back side of something.  I have found over the years, it’s easier for me to identify the opposite in my life and take inventory of where I need to improve.  The opposite of conviction is: disbelief, distrust, doubt, misgiving, skepticism, suspicion, uncertainty, to be unsure, lacking in confidence, and yes, FEAR!   Yikes!!

If you are experiencing any of these things on the flip side of conviction, STOP right now and take an honest assessment of what it is you are doing and why.  You may already be committed (eg. your career, your business, your relationships, etc.) and so you think it’s too late. Nothing is too late unless YOU say it is.  But I will say, it’s much easier to go through the honest assessment before you commit to something or someone.  That said, if you are in middle of a bad decision to commit, I ain’t gonna lie about it….extracting yourself is going to be painful.  But in the end, if you don’t have a firm and solid conviction about what you are doing, why you are doing something, and with whom you are doing that something, it’s going to be more painful in the long run, to stay put.  This includes, jobs, careers, business ventures, as well as relationships of a personal nature.

Take the time, on the front end, before embarking on any new venture to be SURE, to get enough information to remove doubt and disbelief.  If you are sure and have absolute certainty, when the going gets rough…it won’t matter.  You won’t be scared or uncertain because you have the confidence and the conviction that you are doing exactly what you need to be doing.

Boo Yah!