Episode 3: "Act like you know."

Hello and Welcome to JZT CODE Podcast and blog for those who enjoy reading. I am Vavi Solomon and I am bringing the energy of self empowerment alongside transparency here on substack. We have been discussing topics of mind, body, and spirit balance in aim to motivate and support each other in this thing called Life. Thank you for tuning in and reading what I have to share, I truly appreciate it and hope it adds some inspirational razzle dazzle to your day. If you are new to this space, take time to look around and check out the previous episodes. Each message is a timeless nugget to chew on in order to live intentional and view every obstacle as an opportunity to grow, that’s Just Code! ;)

Today is July 12th, 2024 and we are going to talk about Self doubt. This grey cloudy shadow that loves to show up just when the movie is getting good. The question is how do you say, “You know what, pass the popcorn! This cannot and will not ruin what is ahead of me.” with acceptance that this is apart of the human experience?

Well, think about the greatest of the great— in whatever field of study, sport, entertainment, or career you can imagine. In order for those we admire to have gotten where they are, they had to stumble and face the challenge of self doubt. Some are born with an inner confidence that you just can’t fake, while others had to train their minds to understand that doubt is learned behavior. Somewhere along the way, someone or something made you belief that you are not capable of achieving your goal, producing a result, or executing a skill. Once your mind latches onto that belief, everything follows. Your mind leads and your body follows— hence the experiences of anxiety, depression, and self sabotaging behavior.

I’d like to share a story with you about a situation that I experienced while dealing with self doubt. A backstory, I’m a multifaceted artist that began with abstract art way back in high school. This was not a career choice at the time, rather something to do while rebelling against a new environment as a result of uprooting from one school and landing in another. I developed a silent rage and channeled it through art. Thankfully, that was my response at the time. As I approached my senior year, it was time to decide what I wanted to go to college for. Initially, I wanted to be a reconstructive surgeon. I had a deep interest in surgery in general and thought that the medical field would be a cool direction until I researched the amount of schooling that was required. (Big LOL) I knew at that age that I was not cut out for that much school time and explored other options. I decided to try my hand in graphic design. I’d heard that there were graphic artists who actually worked creating visuals for medical journals and that intrigued me. I attended Watkins College of Art, Design, & Film in Nashville, TN. This experience taught me not only the technical side of the arts but independence. I had no family while attending college outside of family friends who were there if I needed. I faced the mirror of “Who am I?” and what I chose to become, is what I decided. Vavi became “Vavi Crude” , a name I chose as an online alias to express “raw, unedited” creativity. Now, this is 2009, before the hype of instagram feeds and influencers. I created a website that was something like an online diary and a gallery of my work. I genuinely enjoyed posting and didn’t think to compare myself to anyone else.