Overcoming Doubts: The Trials & Tribulations

By Hazem Metwally

Recently, within the business community, there has been an increased interest in all topics related to mental health and safer work environments in its broader meaning. More actions and discussions are taking place about the holistic wellbeing of people, physically and mentally. Personally I see this as one of the encouraging trends in the business narrative (and practice); as we executives become collectively more responsible towards the environment and people as much as we are towards financial results.

Throughout life we all grow: older, wiser, tired, hopeful or whatever it is that we are going through. We just grow, and with growth comes inevitable pain. Even a young child, gets the physical “growing pains” as she/he grows taller. And as we adapt to face life with what it throws at us, comes all different kinds of “growing pains”, from discomfort to agony.

It is the law: with growth comes pain, and none of us are alone in this.

So next time you go through painful feelings, try to take the uncomfortable task to understand that this may very well be a growth phase, adapting to life and to your truth. It is no easy feat by any measure.

Self-doubt is part and parcel of the human experience; it is ageless and even… necessary.

I can’t remember embarking on any change without the “what if?” or “can I? self talk... and the bigger and more important the task is, the louder that inner voice questions. In many cases I know that I can do this… “I believe!”… but other times I can be running low on energy sources, and that’s when it gets tricky.

Often, when faced with obstacles, our first instinct is to dial up our doubts. This can be constructive to spool up energy, consider risks and allocate resources towards success... yet if left unchecked, the doubt can drive excessive caution and keep us from taking the very necessary actions.

Failing because of being too cautious is not the only downside: there are long term implications on one’s own confidence and peace-of-mind.?The gradual erosion of confidence arrives suddenly to the tipping point of fear. What starts as small bites of self-doubt can turn into fatigue and can have dear consequences. Many of us have been there!

Much like any pathological or physical disposition for diseases like heart disease, diabetes etc. mental health issues are no different.?They should be treated with the same kind of compassion associated with other kinds of illnesses.?Especially among the youth, we all go through these times of uncertainty, self-doubt and fear that impedes us from achieving our full potential.

* It is important to learn that issues related to mental health should not be a stigma, and that the conversation needs to be all year long.

The pandemic has made this even clearer...

From its beginning, we’ve been seeing a rise in the importance of mental health and its impact on our everyday lives. On last year’s World Mental Health Day, I was very happy to see so many posts of people opening up and others joining the conversation. There is a sense of unity in our feelings across borders and across generations.

Doubt sits triumphant, actions go undone.

“Our Brains Were Not Built for This Much Uncertainty” read a headline of an article by Harvard Business Review (HBR ). This caught my attention and resonated instantly.?The pandemic, surpassing health challenges, has created so much change, both in our personal and professional lives.

Navigating these waters requires simplification, compassion and the return to values of togetherness and human support.

These are much needed to cope with the new speed of change and to embrace with courage and confidence the motivation for tomorrow. We’re seeing far too many capable and talented people selling themselves short because they fear they do not have what it takes to succeed.

So what? Shape an attitude that serves you...

Today, there are many emerging disciplines that focus on structured approaches to mentally support us either personally and professionally, ranging from classical therapy to techniques of meditation, self exploration and support.

The rising trend of wellness is a great one, and should not be restricted to the physical. Learning how to manage your stress and allocating time for it should be as important as a daily walk or a routine workout.

Stay connected with your mission and with what it means to you.

Doing so will help crystallize why you must take action despite your doubts. Throughout my career, there were times where I had to train my own bravery, starting with the problem or opportunity that I’m facing and asking myself “what would I do right now if I were brave?”

In January 2007, four months prior to the launch of Etisalat Misr, I was sitting in a cramped hotel lobby discussing with all of my commercial team members (which comprised only of four persons at the time) how should we tackle the monumental task of launching a compelling value proposition to a market that had no idea what we commercially stand for. I had just recently signed a contract to join the company as Chief Commercial Officer.

There were so many questions about the viability of the market and whether a new entrant can compete with established brand names. There was so much room for doubt, instead I turned to focus inwards, before taking it with my team, about what can we do, and what amount of creativity and hard work we can throw at that huge task.?We had to establish everything from scratch. What kept me going at the time was clarity of the mission and how much it meant to me and to the people around me.

Our mission was to launch an operator that provides choice and simplicity to the customers. With the right balance of intuition and courage, we launched what would in time become one of the biggest telecom operators in Egypt.

Success is not final...

Here’s a thought: simplify matters. While it may be challenging to set expectations and huge ambitions for oneself, try breaking it down into smaller stages with more realistic expectations and realistic optimism. Stay absolutely focused on that until you succeed. This will feed your tenacity and will give you energy for the next challenge.

There is a thin line between putting pressure on yourself and pushing yourself to achieve your target, and even if the target is small, be proud of it, let it push you to the next, and use it as a personal incentive to fuel you forward.

Find your balance between celebrating and pushing forward for more..

Mental Health is aligned with business success

Today, we applaud the dialogue that has started on mental health. The silver lining of the pandemic is that it provides context to this conversation and it will lead into a more open narrative on the topic and its priority; at least we’re starting somewhere. I believe this should be an active perspective for any leader who considers the sustainability of his or her results. That is why in today’s business world “people engagement” is one of the key metrics for success.

I am also, proud of the team at Etisalat Misr, for taking that spirit onboard and initiating action, one of which is partnering with @welnes.app, centered around fostering a healthy environment at work, even if it's by taking a couple of minutes for both our physical and mental health. Other actions included investing in enhancing our physical work environment and remote working support.

The journey of mindfulness requires awareness and action, now. There will always be more to do, in this important matter.