(Originally published Apr. 4, 2007).
One of my daily inspirational meditations called “Trust Yourself” caught my attention, and I thought I would share it on my blog. Here is what it said:
“You must begin to trust yourself. If you do not, then you will forever be looking to others to prove your own merit to you, and you will never be satisfied. You will always be asking others what to do, and at the same time resenting those from whom you seek such aid.”
I started pondering the message.
Here’s the thing. Whenever I mistrust myself, I tend to second-guess my decisions, actions, and choices. It’s all too easy to fall into a quagmire of stagnation and indecision. Furthermore, lack of trust in myself causes me to live in a state of uncertainty and fear of censure. This makes me squirmy, tense, anxious, edgy, snarky, and whiny. Family, friends and colleagues tend to avoid me until the crisis passes.
On the other hand, whenever I allow myself to trust in me, I find that am willing to take more chances, make myself vulnerable, let people see who I really am, and strive for excellence (as I define it). By trusting myself, I give myself permission to take risks, make mistakes, and continue to learn and grow.
As I write this, I’m giving myself a tiny mental pat on the back. If I hadn’t trusted myself enough, I would never have made the decision to quit my day job and write a book.