[success]Life is 10 percent what you make it and 90 percent how you take it. ~ Irving Berlin[/success]
Do you sometimes find yourself in a state of uncertainty, or insecurity about something you’d like to do, but haven’t yet?
Can you imagine doing something different if you only had the confidence to strike out?
If you’re ready, really ready to change what’s happening in your life, here’s a thought that might make all the difference.
1. Do it
The bottom line is that the most successful among us do what the rest of us only think about doing.
When we stop allowing obstacles to have power over us, when we come to understand we are more powerful than any problem, we begin to see ourselves in a new light.
You are designed for greatness, for success. You’re not sinking, or drowning or broken and you are not unworthy of living the most wonderful life you can imagine.
Believe in yourself. Believe in you when no one else does. Believe in yourself first…others will follow.
Life is about managing the ups and downs as best you can, choosing to live it in such a way that every day you feel a little more love, a little more hope, a little more care, a little more healing, a little more confident.
Its time to know you can.
2. Starting today…
Forget what hasn’t worked before. Delight in what’s yet to come. Be excited about everything that’s on it’s way to you.
We live in a world that respects and admires new ideas and those with the confidence to bring them to fruition and whilst it’s easier than ever to come up with an idea for something new and take steps to make it happen, you make it harder on yourself if you believe you can’t do it.
Most of us live with uncertainties and insecurities. It’s easy to feel uncertain when things don’t work out the way you wanted. It’s easy to let insecurities rob you of hope for the future.
Try to remember, you are a beautiful spirit, don’t pull yourself down…give yourself a chance to fly.
Self doubt is your greatest enemy. Give it up.
Love yourself and forgive yourself without apology for who you are.
3. Why waste time on what you’re not?
Pay no attention to what everyone else is doing, and don’t worry if they seem to do it better than you.
Everyone has failed. Everyone at some time, in some way, feels they don’t measure up. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. Far too much time gets wasted on comparing yourself to others.
You were born amazing, not perfect.
Look back and remember all the compliments you’ve received, recognize the skills you’ve developed and acknowledge how far you’ve come.
Look for things that you’ve accomplished in the past or present. Look for your daily victories, no matter how small.
It might be a huge victory that you got out of bed this morning. It counts.
Acknowledgement of who you are, the kindnesses you’ve shown, the love you’ve felt, the struggles you overcame…it all matters. Everything you’ve done has lead you to where you are today, everything you’re becoming is taking you towards your best future.
Each little acknowledgement creates a vibration of success and happiness in the ‘now’ which draws more success and greater confidence in your future.
4. Redefine your agreement with reality
What is life to you? Is it a battle or a struggle? Is it you against the world? Or is it an incredible adventure?
Maybe you see it as a gift?
Whatever your perspective there’s one question you need to answer.
How is this working for me?
We view life through filters of past experiences, creating a set of rules and ideas that make up what reality means to us.
Think back, things happened to you, and you gave them meanings. Maybe you made a mistake and you decided you weren’t capable or competent enough. Maybe you felt rejected or that you were a failure or inadequate in some way.
As if that’s not bad enough you then begin to define new experiences through these filters, validating the way you see the world. And so these old beliefs of who you are and what you can do keep right on going, like the energizer bunny.
What you see and what you know depends on where you’re standing. It’s as simple as that. Your current view point, is not necessarily the truth of things.
If it looks like you’re on the wrong track, it’s okay, don’t fret.
One way to instantly change your relationship to confidence, to success, to yourself and to your world is to change your agreement with reality.
Life is about managing your beliefs. Keep the ones that encourage you to be all you can be and eliminate the ones that discourage. This might help…
5. Spiritually speaking
Everything in life depends on the attitude you have towards yourself.
Your fate lies in your hands. It lies in the concepts you have and the assumptions you make about who you are and what you’re capable of.
To move forward in life give up the belief that you aren’t enough; that you don’t have what it takes to fulfill the purpose that is yours alone.
If you continue to allow your insecurities to rule your life, you will never rise to the level of your true greatness.
Everything you need, to be filled to the brim with self confidence, is already in you. The only condition required to experience it, is your acceptance that it is true.
Try this.
For just one week, every time you have a negative thought about who you are, stop and say something good about yourself.
Practice believing in yourself, accept your awesomeness and don’t let anybody tell you differently. You’re an unfinished work in progress and when you seek the good things, that’s what you find.
If you enjoyed this post please share on your favourite social network. Someone out there might need that little bit of encouragement today.
And if you have strategies or quotes that that have helped you manage or change your level of confidence, please share in the comments below. I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas. You might say just the thing to support someone who’s been in the same boat!
As always, encourage one another
Love Elle
16 Comments
This made me smile, Elle! You have a wonderful way of cutting to the chase: “Do it!” I think this is a supreme question too: “What is life to you?” That can shows us show much about where we might be stuck. Knowing we can change our response is so empowering.
Hello Sandra, it’s funny how we tell ourselves stories about who we are and what we can do and what life really is all about. And as you say the fact that we can change our relationship with what seems to be the only ‘reality’ is incredibly empowering. Don’t know about you, but I have to check in frequently to make sure that the stories I’m telling myself are the ones I want to continue to live with! 🙂
Lovely post Elle, had to share it. I find myself constantly having negative thoughts even when everything is going well. Am going to stamp on those neg thoughts with hob nailed boots and substitute some sweet positive ones instead – have a great day
Hello Mark, welcome to our community of encouragers. And I appreciate you sharing my post. It’s funny how easy it is to let those negative thoughts have such a say over our life. The good new is that you don’t have to accept them as true…and once you become aware of what’s going on, you can intervene – time to get out those boots! 🙂
Great post Elle! Everything you said is just spot on! The problem with most of us is that instead of learning from failure, we let it discourage us. I should know because I had the same mentality not too long ago but I’ve learned my lesson and I’ve adapted a positive mental attitude since then. Sometimes our biggest enemy is ourselves. Our first fan and admirer should be us ourselves because the moment we lose faith in our abilities, we can’t expect good things to come.
Thanks for sharing this post. I loved it!
Hello Noel, lovely to see you here. Great point you make about how easy it is to become discouraged when something doesn’t quite work the way we wanted it to. PMA, so important to our health and wellbeing as well as our success. I’d never suggest we don’t feel discouragement, just that perhaps we could be a bit quicker in feeling it and letting it go and as you say keep on going in faith that we can. It’s far too easy to go there and stay there! 🙂
Loved this post. Great advice. I think a defining quote in life for me is, “Do not ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” -Howard Thurman. It gives me permission to take care of myself and prioritize my truth.
Thanks for sharing.
-Tara
Hello Tara, that must be one of my all time favourite quotes. If we would all live our life in that way, as much as possible, what a wonderful life we would experience. It’s lovely to have you share your wisdom. Thank you. Hope to see you more often. 🙂
What a wonderful look at something which affects us all so greatly, whether it’s mile high or taken a bit of a run down a slidey slope… or indeed in between too. If I could wish everyone just one thing in life, it would be great self confidence, it’s our greatest ally in being able to take life on as the adventure it truly is. I love that you’ve included ‘You are designed for greatness, for success’. If we were all to couple your genuine belief in people with greater self confidence, well, that’s going to make for great, happy, fulfilling days filled with great, happy fulfilled people… can you hear the ‘yes please, pick me noises’ Elle? Fabulous, inspiring post, thank you.
Hi Laura, I absolutely, positively second your wish. Wow, that makes up some world for us to live in. And I’m in too! 🙂
Beautiful thoughts. True indeed that Life is full of challenges and I love the line that says “If we continue to allow our insecurities to rule our life, we will never rise to the level of our true greatness,very motivating. I’ll be sharing this again with my social network friends. Thanks so much.
Hello again Lynne, I so appreciate you stopping by and taking the time to share your thoughts. We can all learn together. I know I learn much from the comments I read and it’s pretty fabulous stuff. Thank you. 🙂
I am finishing up the book Ask and It Is Given by Esther & Jerry Hicks. Just last night I was going to the negative place of thinking I haven’t accomplished enough. This morning I woke up remembering that focusing on feeling as if I am already where I want to be is the best way to put myself in the space of attracting and doing things that bring that way of life into my reality. Ask and It Is Given is a beautiful teaching on the importance of focusing on what we want rather than what we don’t. Thanks for the lift up today!
Hi Annie…sometimes the perfect book arrives at the perfect time. How wonderful that you’re getting reminders to put yourself in the best ‘feeling’ place possible. Good things do happen! And I’m happy to add to your upliftment. 🙂
A really good article. You touched on a lot of things that I went through over the past 2 years in starting my blog. In fact, my first blog post was about it. I didn’t want to just create a blog … but a successful, self sustaining one.
I experienced constant nagging self-doubt and the lack of self-confidence. I also delayed, researched, prepared and was waiting to start things when everything was just right and perfect, hahaha … it never is.
I got discouraged before I even started, didn’t believe in myself, over thought things in my head, continually second guessed myself and almost gave up … before I even started.
Being a life-long negative thinker and worrier didn’t help any either.
What helped was to read other peoples blogs which inspired me, melted away my fears and concerns and gave me the confidence to start a successful blog. I am on my journey now and living it everyday with a lot of passion, excitement and enthusiasm.
Thanks Elle, I really saw myself in your post today.
Mark
How wonderful Mark…I’m really happy for you that you are now the founder of a successful blog. Wishing you even more success in the future. 🙂