By Martin (Gong Yuken) from 2301

Good morning, everyone, today I want to talk about a common problem that we often face during our study and life---self-doubt. It is quite normal to doubt in yourself, when the test is coming, most students will doubt themselves, whether I can pass the exam? Will I be punished because of bad grade? We worry like that from time to time right? Maybe you think this is because you are not good enough, not confident enough. But in fact, only after overcoming self-doubt, you can find your real problem and become a better person.

Let me give you an example: everybody knows Einstein, the scientist who solved many intricate problems in physics. Even someone as great as him experienced self-doubt. He questioned whether his theories about how the universe works were wrong. However, these doubts did not stop him. Oppositely , he continued his research and achieved remarkable successes. So, doubting yourself is not necessarily a bad thing. What you need to do is face it directly and make changes.

Last year, before the M3 test, I also doubted myself. I really worried about the grade I would receive, so I spent whole my national holiday working through past papers from 2018 to 2024. The result was satisfying for me. Since then, I believe that the self-doubt is a good chance to check whether you can have some improvement. So, when you are doubting yourself, the first thing you should do is to do. Sounds strange, but this is because most of the time when we doubt ourselves, we just doubt, sitting there and do nothing. If so, how could we overcome the doubt? When you doubt your academic ability, you should re-read the text book and check whether you understand all the points. When you think you are not good enough, try to do something that can prove that you are good enough. Self-doubt is never a bad thing;  it depends on the way you deal with it. If it makes you change and work harder, it is an elixir. If it makes you stuck there and full of worry every day, it is a poison.

Remember, doubt is not a symbol of weakness, it shows you want to be better. Doubt isn’t bad--it’s a part of growing. So just doubt yourself bravely, but don’t stop moving forward. You will find that you are stronger and better than you think. Just trust in your unlimited possibility.