“I seek strength, not to be greater than others, but to fight my greatest enemy, the doubts within myself” – P.C. Cast
I’ve always envied people who seem to have it all together. Who are just brimming with self-confidence and self-worth, which enables them to succeed in any situation or circumstance life will undoubtedly throw at them.
I hate those people.
Why you might ask? Because I’m NOT one of them.
While I’ve made incredible progress from the days when insecurities would practically cripple me in any social or professional situation, whenever my self-confidence comes into question, I sometimes feel myself reverting.
For those who’ve been at the same employer for a long period of time, have lived in the same house (and state) with any longevity, whose life has remained fairly constant and unaltered for years and years at a time, you might not fully understand where I’m coming from.
Change can often bring about a sense of fear – fear of the unknown; fear of weakness; fear of failure. And while change is one of the true constants in life, it never seems to get any easier whenever you find yourself standing at the beginning of something new.
Henry Ford once remarked, “One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn’t do.”
Now when I look back at times in my own life, when I was afraid to fail or overwhelmed by the tasks before me, I smile and say to myself: “You did it Craig. You didn’t think you’d make it through, but here you are with more knowledge and strength than you ever thought possible.”
Life will always be filled with challenges and discoveries. But fearing the unknown and its circumstances will never change the outcome for the better. You have to believe in yourself and your abilities and most of all remember the times you thought you couldn’t do something and you did. It’s something I try to remind myself often, but it’s made a little easier thanks to the wonderful people in my life always cheering me on from the sidelines.
Dr. Benjamin Spock wrote this statement which I truly believe is all we need to overcome our fears and find success in every facet of our lives. “Trust yourself. You know more than you think you do.”
