You are unique. You have a beautiful power within in you. So why don’t you believe in yourself?
Perhaps there are times when you just don’t feel strong enough, or pretty enough, or slim enough or clever enough…..and this ‘feeling’ stops you from making any progress along the path to where you would like your life to be. I know, really I do. Well, borrow my belief in you for a moment. You are a remarkable human being with a capacity to love the whole world if you want to. Underneath that worn out slightly battered exterior, battered by the daily challenges of life, you are light and joy and full of kindness. You have an ability to connect with other human beings in a way that no one else can copy – your smile, your laugh, your ways of being you. As you start to appreciate yourself again in the little things you do each day, be grateful for your life. Let your gratitude be like a glass of sparkling water bubbling up in bursts and spurts and bubbling over and out of the glass onto the table! Be overflowing in gratitude for your life, and you will start to ‘grow’ your belief in yourself once again.
You see as you develop and grow your belief in yourself, you start to build your armour against fear. Fear is like the cowardly thief in the night that swoops in and steals your dreams, your hopes, your plans and your goals. Last week I learnt from the amazing Dr Tom Barrett that there are two realities about fear: the fear of growing, and the fear of not growing.
In the context of following your dreams in the form of a side project or a business, the fear of growing may involve your fear of being laughed at; being taken seriously; knowing what to say or how to answer questions. All equally cringeworthy (!) but all surmountable obstacles by simply learning and practising new skills.
The fear of not growing however is far worse. It may mean that you will always have more month than money; you remain unfulfilled in a job that you dislike and is draining your passion for life; you’re not ready for retirement; and your dreams are never ever realised. The fear of not growing sounds far worse to me: what do you think?
So if one of the main reasons why you are not taking that first step to change your life is that you just don’t believe you can, perhaps you’d like to start growing your belief in you today?
Yesterday I heard a wise man say, ‘ Being a great teacher is about being a great learner…’ and it got me thinking. Are we more concerned about the leading than we are about the learning? The path of personal development can be exciting and sometimes even exhilarating, but it can also be tiresome, painful and stagnant if you have a negative outlook and focus on the things you are yet to master and perfect. What is it about those people you admire and look up to, that make you want to follow them, or be a part of what they are about? I seem to be attracted to people who have had an interesting journey in life, which resonates with me and the change of direction that I have experienced in the last few years. 
Would I be as interested if they had not shared their struggles and challenges? If they had not been open about their passion and excitement for their current course in life? I don’t know. Perhaps not. But surely the act of leading is not just about the shiny transformed figure of excellence sharing wisdom and great advice. It must also be about taking others by the hand and showing them how to do things by actually doing it themselves. ‘Do as I do’ and not ‘Do as I say’.