Why Believing in Yourself Changes Everything

When Believing in Yourself Feels Hardest

We’ve all been there – the wave of disappointment, bouts of uncertainty and the fear that comes with it, or even heartbreak that changed everything. Life throws a lot at us sometimes, and it’s not always easy.

When I was in the thick of my healing journey, perhaps what some might call my “dark night of the soul,” I didn’t know which way was up. It felt like I was walking in a completely pitch-black room, and my steps would light up as I took them, no more, no less.

This test called for a lot of self-trust and a strong belief in myself. I didn’t know where I was going, but I trusted that I would be okay during that crazy ride – and I knew I’d get to the other side at some point!

That sort of uncertainty isn’t easy to hold – but it is possible. We might feel lost, broken, or even helpless, and the beautiful thing is that we always have a choice.

It’s easy to believe in yourself when there are blue skies, but it’s choosing to believe in yourself in the dark that builds self-trust.

In this post, we’ll talk about how life can be unpredictable, how we might find ourselves feeling hopeless or alone, and how we can find the courage to believe in ourselves anyway.

Self-Doubt Is the Easy Choice

Whenever anything goes wrong, our initial reaction might be to panic. We might immediately doubt ourselves or assume the worst – that’s natural. It’s also not our only option.

When something doesn’t work out, when we feel rejected, or maybe when we are starting over – it’s in these moments that our self-doubt can ring the loudest.

What if I fail? What now? What if I embarrass myself?

Our minds try to protect us by asking us these questions. It lowers our expectations and tries to make the uncertainty easier. Doubting yourself may be the easier choice, but it’s not always the healthiest one.

Your mind will keep reacting this way until you add in a missing ingredient: courage.

What if stepping into the unknown was more of an opportunity for self-belief than self-doubt?

Look How Far You’ve Already Come

I’ve been there too, something happens and you wonder what you’re going to do next. What’s the right choice? How do I know where to go?

In the face of uncertainty, the first step to combating doubt is to look at the facts. Look at everything you’ve already accomplished, and all of the challenges you’ve already overcome!

Factually, list out what happened, how you handled it and how much you learned from that experience. It was difficult for you, wasn’t it? And you didn’t know what to do, did you?

And you’re here now, aren’t you?

Every difficult season, every setback – as painful as they might be, these are all opportunities for you to learn.

Ask yourself:

Didn’t you make it through?
Didn’t you find a way?
Didn’t you learn something?
Didn’t you become stronger?

Look at it this way..

Your life is already full of evidence that you are capable.

Believing in Yourself Creates Space for Growth

Belief affects action. If we don’t believe in ourselves, we might hesitate. We might avoid new opportunities, even if they’re exciting ones.

We stay small, and without that self-belief, we are likely to assume failure before we even begin.

In contrast, when we do have a healthy sense of self-belief, we can do more. We branch out. We spread our wings!

When we believe in ourselves, we try, we take risks, we learn, and we grow!

Trying leads to improved skills and new experiences. Taking risks leads to higher self-esteem and learning new things about ourselves. We learn more about who we are when we are willing to do things that make us uncomfortable.

Of course, believing in yourself doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed success.

It does mean that you’re willing to give yourself a chance. That chance makes all the difference.

You’ll never know what you’re capable of if you don’t give yourself the opportunity to find out.

With a little courage, you can take small steps to push past your perceived limits, which much of the time aren’t actually real limits.

They’re assumptions, fears, and stories we’ve told ourselves.

Belief Builds Upon Itself

Self-belief compounds over time.

When you trust yourself through one difficult season:

You gain evidence and data. The learning that happens when you experience something new gives you important information.

You build resilience – if you’ve already done this hard thing one time, that other scary thing in the corner doesn’t seem quite as intimidating.

You create trust. When you show up for yourself, walk through challenges, give your best, and see that you can come out the other side, you learn that you can depend on yourself and that you are capable.

And when the next challenge arrives, you can move from fear-based thinking to leaning on the fact that you’ve handled difficult things in the past.

Every time you choose to trust yourself, you’re building a stronger relationship with yourself.

And that’s something no one can take away from you.

What Believing in Yourself Looks Like in Everyday Life

Believing in yourself doesn’t always have to be dramatic or specifically related to a challenging circumstance.

Sometimes, believing in yourself can look like:

Speaking up when you need to
Setting a boundary
Applying for the job
Taking a chance
Starting over
Trusting your instincts
Walking away from what’s no longer serving you
Giving yourself grace when you make mistakes

Being able to do these things for yourself dramatically affects your confidence and decision-making abilities. When you believe in yourself enough to act, it helps you find discernment and feel more certain about your choices.

Self-belief creates space for self-respect and personal growth. When you believe in yourself, you are more likely to act in alignment with your values and what makes you comfortable. You’re more open to receiving respect from others as well.

Believing in yourself changes how you walk into a room, how you handle challenges, and how you talk to yourself when things don’t go according to plan.

Practical Ways to Believe in Yourself More

You will always have more and more opportunities to believe in yourself. From everyday moments, like saying hi to a new colleague at work, to making big life changes, like moving to a new city.

Whenever doubt arises and you want to choose self-belief instead, here’s a recap of things we can do moving forward:

Remember Your Evidence

Look back at all of the challenges and obstacles you’ve already overcome. You’ve been afraid before, you’ve been uncertain, and you’ve still made it through.

Remember what you learned from those challenges and take a look at how you’ve grown.

Your past examples of resilience are proof that you can believe in yourself.

Keep Promises to Yourself

Following through builds trust. When you show up for yourself in the big moments and, especially, in the smaller moments, you learn that you can count on yourself.

Every effort, every intention, every promise kept – counts.

Pay Attention to Your Self-Talk

Pay attention to how you speak to yourself. Notice what you say to yourself when things don’t go as expected. Notice any negativity or harsh criticism, and question those thoughts.

Are they logical?

Do they actually make sense, or are they just there out of fear?

Focus on the Next Step

You don’t need the entire plan.

You just need the next step.

Simply keep an open mind to the fact that everything is going to be okay – it’s all going to work out.

Stop Looking Outside Yourself for Every Answer

Listen to how you are feeling. Spend time with yourself and your own perspective. Ask yourself questions about how you are feeling and what you want.

No one knows what’s best for you more than you do.

Trust your own wisdom.

Give Yourself Permission to Begin

Just a reminder: you’re human. You’re here to learn and grow. Those things require both not knowing and the courage to find out.

You don’t have to be a pro or have all the answers. You just have to start, one step at a time.

That’s enough.

Conclusion: Choose to Believe in Yourself

One thing about life is that it just keeps life-ing.

That’s what it does.

It’s always going to provide you with opportunities to doubt yourself – or to believe in yourself.

You might miss your next flight, be disappointed by a friend, or not get that promotion you wanted.

There will be moments when it feels easier to doubt yourself. Yet now, in those moments, maybe you’ll choose to remember that you can handle it.

Remember, you have experienced difficulties before and made it through – you can do it again.

You’ve demonstrated strength in the past, and you’re likely much stronger than you give yourself credit for.

Believe in yourself – not because you have all the answers, but because you’ve already proven, time and time again, that you’ll find your way.

You’ve made it this far, haven’t you?

Resources If you’d like to learn more about closure, check out these links:

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