June 25th 2011
“One of the most common problems with individuals today is that they do not believe in themselves. So many people constantly doubt their abilities, skills, talents, opinions, and numerous other aspects that make them who they are. For these individuals, a lot of precious time is wasted on this demeaning method of thinking. If you are looking to improve yourself, your life, the way that others see you, and the way that you see yourself, it is important to understand the importance of believing in yourself. If you miss the opportunity of accomplishing this very important goal, you will continue to miss opportunities all through your life.”

These words by Ryan Puusaari are essential for my Slouch this weekend. Good day fellow YO! readers. This weekend I want us to focus on believing in ourselves. I have realized that a lot of us have a hard time believing that we have what it takes to be correct. Sometimes the feeling of being wrong hinders any chance we have of fighting the fear of maybe participating in a class discussion or in any life function.
Here are a few tips we can use to help us start to believe in ourselves.
Try Even When You Still Think You Can't Do It. Because you have pattern of not believing in yourself, this will take a little work. Make a vow to yourself today that you will try your best at any opportunity that comes your way. It does not matter if you have fallen on your face before or whether you think it's even possible. The important thing is to pledge to yourself that you will try no matter what the outcome may be. The worst thing to do to yourself is to assume you can't do it before even trying. Tell yourself right now that any effort to do better is not a waste of your precious time.
Establish Evidence For The Assumptions. Get some paper and start a list. List every one of those things you really believe about yourself and your abilities or the lack of them. List them whether they are large or small. Once you have that list go through each assumption and examine it. Ask yourself, "Is this true? What is the proof?" Then go and do whatever it is you feel you cannot. It does not matter if you do it better than anyone else. It only matters that you DO.
Recognize The Possibilities. Always doubting and putting yourself down obviously puts you in the place of believing you cannot succeed. This goes back to the people in your life who have impressed their own beliefs on you. A silly bunch of girls in high school told you that you were fat and no one would ever want you. Guess what you have been doing since?
Saying that same self-defeating comment to yourself. It is time to push beyond what you believe are your capabilities. This is a scary thought. It also will be a step in the direction of finding the belief in you. The assumptions you have about yourself may not be true. You have simply accepted these assumptions as truth without proof. Consider all the possibilities of each situation. Challenge the assumptions and have an open mind to the possibility that you could be wrong!

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