Plenty of people try to conceal their insecurities, especially at work. You may not want your boss to know that you’re terrified of public speaking before leading a big pitch meeting, or to tell your work bestie that you’re worried about making a mistake on the job.
But those feelings of doubt can help you become highly successful, according to Jonny Kim, a 41-year-old from Los Angeles with a lengthy resume: He participated in over 100 combat missions as a U.S. Navy SEAL, then got a medical degree from Harvard Medical School and flew to the International Space Station on April 8 as a NASA astronaut.
Kim spent some of those Navy missions as a combat medic. In that role, he got comfortable knowing he didn’t always have the answers, but it was his job to do all he could to save people’s lives anyway, he said on bestselling author Simon Sinek’s “A Bit of Optimism” podcast, in an episode that aired on August 5.
“I think insecurity is something that we’ve all dealt with and it’s a part of being human,” said Kim. “I think a little tinge of healthy insecurity keeps the humility in check or keeps the ego in check.”
“Being unconfident in my abilities” during that time was a defining moment in his life, Kim added, driving him to pursue his degree in medicine and dedicate the rest of his career to be of service to others.
