“When we plant a rose seed in the earth, we notice that it is small, but we do not criticize it as “rootless and stemless.” We treat it as a seed, giving it the water and nourishment required of a seed. When it first shoots up out of the earth, we don't condemn it as immature and underdeveloped; nor do we criticize the buds for not being open when they appear. We stand in wonder at the process taking place & give the plant the care it needs at each stage of its development."

"The rose is a rose from the time it is a seed to the time it dies. Within it, at all times, it contains its whole potential. It seems to be constantly in the process of change; yet at each state, at each moment, it is perfectly all right as it is.”

It is important to realize is that just because you are at Point A and someone else is at Point C that does not mean you are doing bad work. In fact, there is no bad work or good work. Just as there is no such thing as a rose seed that is a bad rose bush. There are just points in time and repetitions completed.

There is no bad work or good work 

<ol><li>Every outcome you can achieve is simply a point along the spectrum of repetitions and time. </li><li>The number of repetitions you need to put in for a particular goal is dependent on your circumstances, your experiences, your training, and many other factors. </li><li>Everyone's spectrum of repetitions is unique: your spectrum is different than mine.</li></ol>

Simply a Point Along the Spectrum of Repetitions

<ol><li>Release the desire to define yourself as good or bad. </li><li>Release the attachment to any individual outcome. </li><li>If you haven't reached a particular point yet, there is no need to judge yourself because of it. </li><li>You can't make time go faster and you can't change the number of repetitions you have put in before today. </li><li>The only thing you can control is the next repetition.</li></ol>

The only thing you can control is the next repetition

Are self-doubt and judgment required for success? Do you have to be unhappy with your work to discover the drive to become better? Does judging ourselves make us any better?<ul><li>I don't think it does.</li></ul>When I find myself falling into the trap of judging my work, here's a strategy I use to pull myself back on track: <ul><li>I try to remember that each outcome is simply a point along the spectrum of repetitions.</li></ul>

Is Self-Doubt Required for Success?

<ol><li>In the beginning, it was easy. There was no pressure. There were no outside eyes. There were no expectations.</li><li>When I started writing, I wrote in a private document for over a year before I published my first article.</li><li>I wrote about what I wanted to write. I wrote because I wanted to get my thoughts down. I wrote because I felt like I needed to write.</li><li>After a few months of sharing my work publicly, things began to change.</li><li>As I developed an audience, I noticed that I began judging my work. In the beginning, I was just happy to get my ideas down on paper, but now I felt like they had to be “good”.</li></ol>

From passion to self-judgment

Read this article to learn how to deal with self-doubt and self-judgment, so that you can move past judging yourself and perform at a higher level.