The former CEO of Intel, Andy Grove, wrote a book called Only the Paranoid Survive. While confidence is important, it’s also important to balance confidence with a little self-doubt.

Self-doubt can be healthy. It can be humbling. It can push you to be better. Self-doubt can take different forms.

First, is believing there is always more you can learn. This is a very good thing. There is always more to learn. We often fill in the knowledge gaps with assumptions, and assumptions are not necessarily valid. However, without some kind of assumptions, we cannot make any decisions. Unfortunately, sometimes, our assumptions are off or downright wrong. We assume we know what a client wants. We assume that we know what’s good for our kids. We assume that it will take us half an hour to get somewhere. We even assume that we know that our spouse will love our gift. Assumptions can often be wrong. Thus, it’s important to understand that we can always learn, adapt, and change.

Kazan is a Japanese concept that means constant and never-ending improvement. So often, humans reach a point where they stop working on themselves. They think what got them here is what is going to get them to the next level of success. This is where a healthy amount of reflection and yes, self-doubt can help. Self-doubt can be a healthy part of any success journey. Self-doubt benefits include not being truly comfortable or one hundred percent confident in your approach to your goals, your skill set, and even your relationships.

Next, one of the concepts that I often write and speak about is that before you can change your life, you must change your approach to life. Unfortunately, many people are convinced that their approach to life is rock solid, and worse if they are not where they want to be, they blame everything around them – except their approach. A healthy amount of self-doubt tells you that maybe there’s room for improvement. If an athlete is not performing to standards, then they can chalk up their performance to bad luck. However, if they look at the situation differently, they can see that maybe they need to practice more, get feedback from a former coach, or even get a sports psychologist. An entrepreneur can blame the economy and unsophisticated customers, or they can have a healthy amount of self-doubt that will allow them to make some changes and get on a better path.

Self-doubt can be powerful, but it should be looked at like salt. The right amount of salt is needed to complete a dish. In fact, without salt, even the best dishes are not quite right. However, too much salt can ruin the best of dishes, just like too much self-doubt can keep you from getting started.