When I was little, I remember my Mom reading a picture book to me called The Value of Believing in Yourself. The book is about Louis Pastuer who produced the first vaccine for rabies. I can still picture one of the drawings in the book of Pasteur giving the vaccine via a large syringe to a little boy, but it is only now that I think back to it that I realize this was not a book about a vaccine or syringes, but a book about values.
And of the values that are worth thinking about, the value of believing in yourself deserves to be near the top of the list. I first really thought about the concepts of beliefs and limiting beliefs when reading Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins. A belief, Robbins says, is a feeling of certainty about what something means. A limiting belief then is a feeling of certainty that holds us back. That disempowers us. That prevents us from doing things that we could do, that we may want to do.
Recently I started thinking about beliefs once again. I was on a long run, listening to a podcast about morning routines. For some reason the podcast really made me think about beliefs, and particular, my belief in myself. For so much of my life I’ve looked to others to believe in me. My coworkers. My parents. My friends. My wife. And don’t get me wrong, its great to have people who believe in me and I’m sure I rely on their belief to some extent.
But belief from others means reliance on others. Rather than rely on someone else to pick up the phone when I need them most, why not give myself this thing that I want from others? Why not believe in myself?
I got home from my run with these thoughts swirling in my mind and sat down to journal. 45 minutes later, I looked up, having filled at least 20 pages with thoughts and ideas that all came down to this idea: belief in yourself is a must. It is table stakes for life. Things happen and life has a way of beating you down, if you let it. There are seasons to life where sometimes you’re on top of the world and sometimes you’re down in the dumps.
Throughout these seasons of life, we can give ourselves the gift of self-belief. Of self-assurance. Of love, compassion, and support. It can be as simple as a belief that you can do it. That you are enough as you are, and yet have more to offer. A belief that you are always growing, always improving, learning, getting stronger.
This is something that we can all do. We can all believe in ourselves. We have the capability to do it. And when you do, it feels—comforting. Like a warm blanket on a cold winter’s day. Like the affectionate embrace of an old friend seeing you for again for the first time in a long time. Cultivating this practice is like a super power, because then you can harness it whenever you want. You can bring it to yourself when you’re feeling good. And you can bring it to yourself when you need it most.
I’ve started cultivating this practice during my morning runs. I remind myself that I must believe in myself and that I can believe in myself—that I am capable of self-belief. I then promise myself that I will believe in myself and affirm that I do, in fact, believe in myself. As I run, I say to myself “I must, I can, I will, I do.” I time it with the steps of my run, becoming a mantra of sorts. Saying it over and over again, I am reminded that in my life I must believe in myself. I can believe in myself. I will believe in myself. And I do believe in myself.
I feel the changes in my life. I feel the confidence that I’ve looked to from others warming up inside me, a soft glow gaining in intensity. I feel more open to what life has in store for me, more optimistic. I feel better equipped to tackle life’s challenges and continue to grow and learn. I feel ready.
All this from a commitment to belief in myself. I don’t just believe in myself, though. I believe in others. And I believe in you, too.
