“If you were able to believe in Santa Clause for eight years, you can believe in yourself for like five minutes.” Unknown
Sometimes fiction is easier to believe in than fact. Facts can be difficult to believe especially if they are rare and we are the only one appearing to be acting on them. In today’s world it is not popular to declare one’s strengths so we work hard at ignoring them. Over time we lose contact with who we are because we have denied our true nature for so long.
We may not even realize that we are caught up in a cycle of self-doubt until it has begun a pattern that has us totally entangled in a situation where self-belief is needed but not available. Another story directly from my life… at one point I spoke fluent Spanish. So much so that my first job had me working with a caseload of clients 90% of which only spoke Spanish. At this time, I spoke the language every day and had to read and write it as well. When I stepped out of that job someone told me that if I did not practice my Spanish I would lose it. I believed this which is odd due to my not believing the use it or lose it principle with other skills. Today, I have tricked myself into thinking I could not speak the language at all. On an occasion I was involved in an emergency where I was the closest thing to a native speaker available. Guess what? I spoke Spanish with ease without even thinking about it. Everyone including myself was surprised due to my wanting to speak the language well before this moment and not being able to do so. Self-doubt tricked out of being able to do something I can do.
Lesson is belief can be a very powerful thing. When you cultivate healthy self confidence because of living according to your values and learning healthy skills then our world becomes richer. We become stronger and are a gift to all we meet. Self-belief is contagious and a habit that helps us stand in our own sunlight without guilt or shame for being wonderful.
JOURNAL PROMPTS
1. On a scale from zero to seven where zero is not at all and seven is the most possible how much self-belief do you have?
2. How does this level of self-belief affect your life?
GUIDANCE
We have spoken about having courage the previous two days. It takes courage to keep your self-belief in the face of adversity and to continue to cultivate it. If you are finding that your self-belief is low reflect on what events have occurred to bring this about. Note one major event that may have led to sustained self-doubt. Now, think of three confirming statements to make about how you came through this event. Ask yourself what you learned or how you grew as a result of traveling through an event that has to this point been a source of self-doubt.