Overestimate Underestimate
by Michael Feeley
The Double Vision We Carry
You said yes to leading that project because you were certain you could handle it. Now it’s harder than expected, and suddenly you’re convinced you’re not capable of anything.
Same person. Same week. Overestimating your readiness, then underestimating your ability to learn through difficulty.
This is the dance we do constantly. We overestimate our capacity to go it alone, then underestimate our right to ask for help. We overestimate how quickly we’ll bounce back from disappointment, then underestimate our strength when we’re actually in it. Back and forth, inflating and deflating, rarely landing on what’s simply true.
They’re not defense mechanisms. They actually help us. Overestimating gets us to take risks we’d otherwise avoid. Underestimating cushions the blow when things don’t work out.
The valuable moment comes when you catch yourself mid-dance. Right there, you can pause and ask: “What’s actually true here?” Not the magnified version. Not the diminished one.
You weren’t as prepared as you thought. AND you’re more resilient than you’re giving yourself credit for. Both true simultaneously.
That project you took on? When you stop overestimating what you must handle alone and stop underestimating your capacity to grow through challenge, everything shifts. The dance becomes choice. And that’s the good news.
Thanks – Michael (he, him)
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This matters too – Confidence and Determination.
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