Paralysis

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Did you know that a lack of confidence is more decisive than a lack of skill in performing a certain task when it comes to completing it?

We may think that in order to do something that is not simple, it is necessary to have a great capacity for preparation, knowledge, and mastery of the technique. Of course, this is more than obvious and true. But let's think about a task and profession where the degree of knowledge and skill required to perform it is crucial to its completion... Let's take the example of a neurosurgeon specializing in oncology. Their vast knowledge of surgery and deep understanding of oncology means they have a set of skills that not all doctors or surgeons possess.

But if there are two professionals, both doctors and both trained in surgery, and if one of them, despite their training and more advanced knowledge, lacks confidence in their ability to intervene or make clinical decisions, this will certainly put them at a disadvantage in terms of achieving good results, compared to their colleague.

This is not surprising. Almost everything we do depends on how we interact with our environment. On our ability to make a decision to move forward or not to move forward. The risk of having the ability to do something and not doing it because of a possible fear of failure, or of not being as perfect as possible, can lead to paralysis of action.

In this particular case, perfection works against the performer. Wanting to be better than the best possible can lead to inaction.

Don't think that you perform the task at hand better than anyone else, that you never make mistakes, or that you never hesitate. We all hesitate, make small mistakes, and fail. What distinguishes a true professional from a curious person is simply the ability to adapt the way you act and think according to the initial situation and according to what happens.

What might initially seem complex and beyond comprehension can become something that is more than routine; but the opposite can also happen. True ability is not acting without thinking. It is thinking and acting, even knowing that adjustments may have to be made along the way. And that our ability to act is crucial for the situation to have a better outcome than if we did not intervene.

Can you recall a situation in your profession where, despite having no doubt that you had to move forward, you blocked due to a lack of confidence? Those of you in the health and medical field know that strange feeling, which even leaves an almost metallic taste in your mouth, where it seems like the ground is being pulled out from under your feet, and you literally feel time slipping away...

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Original text written by me in Portuguese and translated with DeepL.com (free version)}