When in doubt, don't. — Benjamin Franklin

When in doubt, don't.

Author: Benjamin Franklin

Insight: Most of us have experienced that queasy feeling—a decision sitting in front of us, and something inside whispers that it's not quite right. We know the instinct is there, but we push through anyway. We want to seem decisive. We don't want to miss out. We tell ourselves we're overthinking it. Benjamin Franklin's simple rule cuts through all that noise: if you can't shake the doubt, that's actually information worth listening to. The real power here isn't about paralysis or missed opportunities. It's recognizing that doubt often arrives before your rational mind catches up. That hesitation might be your experience recognizing a pattern, or spotting a detail that doesn't add up. When you ignore it and act anyway, you're usually not being brave—you're just ignoring what you already know. Of course, this doesn't mean never taking risks or sitting frozen by perfectionism. It means distinguishing between the productive anxiety of challenge and that specific, stubborn doubt. The difference? One makes you uncomfortable. The other makes you uncomfortable because you know something's off. When it's the latter, Franklin suggests the simpler path forward isn't to convince yourself otherwise—it's to wait. Trust that if it's meant to happen, the doubt will resolve itself or the opportunity will circle back.