Q. You write about your inner struggle, at times questioning whether or not you’re good
enough. Do you have any input on how to quell self-doubt?
A. I may have had some success in my life, but I can still feel the twinge of embarrassment from
when I misspelled a word in front of my class when I was in kindergarten. I still remember the
doubts I had about myself as a working-class minority student on an affluent, mostly white
college campus. I think we all carry moments like that - and let me tell you, they don’t
disappear when you suddenly find yourself speaking to crowded arenas and meeting the Queen
of England. What’s helped is getting older and living through some of those doubts, and
realising they’re not the end of your life. In fact, they can be a new beginning. It doesn’t make
up the feelings any less difficult in the moment, of course, but in the end self-doubt can actually
be useful, as long as we don’t let it overwhelm the way we think about ourselves. It’s all a part
of becoming.
https://becomingmichelleobama.com/