I’ve run a number of marathons and other long-distance races. When you’re running for hours at a time, you end up having some weird conversations with yourself. Even though you may have been training for the run for months, you start to reason that it was a stupid idea, that it’s not that important, that you’re too old for this, etc. Runners should be prepared for these self-talks. They happen when we’re not thinking clearly, so it’s helpful if we develop a response before the race, when we are thinking clearly. That way, when we start to doubt ourselves, we’ll instantly recognize the doubt for what it is and can tell ourselves to keep going because this is what we’ve been preparing for and the doubt is just the discomfort pain talking. In the same way, people often start to have doubts or even give up when they’re near the finish line in a big project. They get far enough outside their comfort zone that they start to think they don’t belong there, that this isn’t for them. When you start to have these doubts, you should, again, recognize them for what they are and press on. You can’t accomplish big things without a little discomfort, and if you’re feeling out of your element, it doesn’t mean you’re lost; it means you’re on the right track.