EDITORIAL – There’s no getting around it. If you want to lead a happy life, and certainly if you ever want to reach your full potential, you must believe in yourself. I mean think about it. If you don’t believe in yourself, how in the world can you legitimately expect others to? It just doesn’t make sense.
You may have gone through some rough times in your life making it difficult to be the kind of person you want to be, but I want you to know that your past doesn’t have to be your future.
Please read the next sentence carefully because it is a super important one. No matter what you have been through, you can overcome it. I truly believe that. Not, just because it sounds good to say, but because I’ve seen it over and over again.
It all starts with you becoming your biggest fan though, and there’s no better time to start than right now! Here are three tips you can put into place starting today:
1) Face your fears.
Fear of failure may have caused you to ignore your dreams, desires, or goals. If so, determine today that you won’t let that fear stop you from getting what you truly want.
If Thomas Edison had been afraid of failure, we wouldn’t have the luxury of indoor lighting today. He never gave up trying to find the right way to make a light bulb and he experienced over 10,000 ways of how not to make a light bulb.
Just because you don’t reach your goals or dreams the first time, don’t give up. Keep trying until you succeed. Learn from your mistakes, sure. But keep moving ahead.
Once you begin facing your fears, you’ll discover that what you feared may not be such a big deal after all. But, you’ll never know until you start.
2) Control your self-talk.
Do you say negative things like, “I’m an idiot,” or “That was a dumb thing to do,” or “I’m ugly?” How you perceive yourself comes out in what you say. And what you say to yourself affects how you see yourself.
Change how you see yourself by speaking positively to yourself, about yourself. When you’re getting ready for the day, while looking in the mirror, point out some positive characteristics about yourself and say them out loud. Phrases such as:
“I am an attractive person.”
“I am a good parent.”
“I am a hard worker.”
“I love myself.”
“I like how I look in these clothes.”
“I am brilliant.”
Even if you don’t believe it, say it anyway! You will soon realize that these things really are true. Also, place positive quotes, affirmations, and/or scriptures where you will see them during the day to keep your spirits high.
3) Work on what you need to.
While I don’t suggest we work exclusively on our weaknesses (we actually should focus much more on our strengths), there are times when we must. Particularly if it affects how we see ourselves. With that in mind, consider this:
Are you bad at financial management? You could take a class to help you learn to budget so you can be in control of your money, instead of it controlling you.
Are you a slow reader? You could take a speed-reading class or get a tutor to help you build speed.
Do you find it challenging to speak in public? You could take a public speaking course or become part of an organization where you must speak in public.
Is your weight stopping you from believing yourself? You could learn how to eat healthy and get regular exercise to take some weight off.
The key thing to remember is this: No matter what’s stopping you from believing in yourself, there’s a way to overcome it.
