Every filmmaker I know wrestles with self doubt or imposter syndrome, and it can be incredibly harmful. For some, it’s so overwhelming they call it quits on their career. But I genuinely believe self doubt is something you can keep at bay… It just takes your active participation. Here are a few ways to get there: 1. Stop telling people you WANT to make a film The single best way to build your confidence as a director is to consistently make films. But so often filmmakers talk themselves out of making new work, and never give themselves the chance to see what they are capable of. And it always seems to be on the heels of a conversation with a blocked creative person who plants seeds of doubt. Their insecurities become yours, and subconsciously you begin to doubt your project too. A better option would be to tell no one (outside of your team) until it’s done. The finished product will give you all the validation you need. 2. Stop giving yourself “5 years to make it” scenarios I often hear a version of… “I’ve given myself 5 years break into the industry, otherwise I’m going back to my day job…” Personally, I think this line of thinking sets you up for failure. With each year you feel more desperate to make your mark, but that only leads to worse (and shorter term) decision making. This of course only makes you doubt yourself even more, since you’ve set the bar so impossibly high that no one could ever reach it. Avoid giving yourself ultimatums that are antithetical to the creative process. 3. Stop believing failure is a bad thing Great filmmakers understand that failure is a natural part of the creative process. Amateur filmmakers think it’s a death sentence, and something they can avoid. Even for the most talented filmmaker out there – failure exists. Festivals reject films. Financiers say no to investment proposals. Reviewers tear apart a finished work, and so on. It may seem like everyone is getting ahead but you. But in reality, those who are getting ahead aren’t always any better or more talented than you. They’ve just developed a thick enough skin to keep going in the face of “failure”, rather than turning setbacks into more self doubt. 4. Stop being upset with your critics No matter what you do as a filmmaker, someone will criticize you for it. And I’m not talking about professional film criticism here, which has a unique value. I’m talking about your uncle or neighbor who hears about your micro-budget film and rolls their eyes. The reality is, a huge amount of people are walking around on this earth as blocked creatives. When they see a filmmaker like you going out on a limb to create art, it triggers their own insecurities surrounding their unfulfilled dreams and ambitions. By tearing you down, they feel justified in the decisions they’ve made – that probably keep them up at night. Unfortunately these type of interactions can lead to genuine self-doubt in filmmakers. But if you understand where they originate, they’re a hell of a lot less powerful.  5. Stop ignoring your progress Film projects can take years to complete, which makes it very difficult to see all of the progress you are making as a filmmaker. You may very well become a far better director/DP/editor/writer over the course of making a feature film, but be completely unaware of it. Largely because filmmaking skill is not something that can be objectively measured – and this creates a major challenge. If you don’t know that you’re getting better something, why would you continue? The solution is to find a way to measure it, even if qualitatively. For instance, making a series of 1 minute short films is a fast way to prove to yourself that you’re growing, as film #10 will inevitably be stronger than film #1. However you do it, find a way to measure your progress. So long as you believe you are improving, the self doubt tends to disappear. If you enjoyed this, please retweet and follow me @noamkroll – at Los Angeles, CA