“Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight or any experience that reveals the human spirit.’ ~E.E.Cummings
Growing up in a cult did not allow me to have any feelings of self worth or self esteem. ..yet self esteem is probably one of the most critical components in being successful..whatever that means for you.
And fear is an enemy of self-confidence..because fear causes inaction. Facing your fears and taking action will help build your core level of self confidence.
Pushing past the fear..If I had to chose one attribute that is the most important component in my own personal growth..it is in pushing myself beyond my fears..maybe it was only a small step..but one step becomes two..and two becomes three…until a mountaintop is attained.
Growing up n a cult, I did not have much interaction with the world, and I remember the days that I was unable to answer a phone..when I heard the phone ring..my heart would almost jump out of my chest, my anxiety so overwhelming…I would do anything to not answer that horrible sound…which was usually to run and hide in my room…
I gradually overcame the avalanche of butterflies in my stomach..but I started by picking up the phone and answering with ‘Hi”…graduating to holding a conversation..start with situations that are less fear producing…over the years, I grew to even operating my own company and cold calling on potential clients…
You can work your way up to things that now create a great deal of stress…gradual exposure was the most effective way for me in overcoming my fears…I now enjoy the challenge of pushing myself beyond my fears..it has become exhilarating..I still get butterflies, but now I ride their wings to extraordinary places..
Five hundred years ago, Michel de Montaigne said: “My life has been filled with terrible misfortune; most of which never happened.”
I found that my fears are most often unfounded..our creative thinking always goes the extra mile in creating great imaginative disastrous scenes out of thin air..studies have shown that 85% of what we fear never happens..and we are usually able to effectively handle most of the rest…
As we continue to grow and become better people, our light will grow and we can be an example and bring other people out of their darkness…
I have this quote on my board…
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” ~Marianne Williamson
“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” – Lao Tzu.
Go and be Courageous..for you are loved
