If you had met me almost three years ago, I would have been a totally different person. I never believed in myself, and that was a central part of my underconfident life. Or rather, underconfidence in every facet of my life.
I didn’t think that I could excel in my college studies, and hence never tried. I was never disciplined and hence never could form a strong habit. I was shy when it came to speaking with anybody. Never made such great friends either in school or college.
On top of it, I’ve had a hard time dealing with physical and verbal bullying, which eventually crushed a little hope that I had within myself.
All this is because I never believed in myself. And I never thought that I could make things any better. However, there came a point in life when I started accepting things that gradually changed the game.
While self-doubt still lingers everyday but I believe in myself as I’ve never before. I am way more confident and sure about who I am! That still doesn’t mean that I will never fail or will ever quit. Probably more often than I thought.
But what matters is that it is OKAY!
What I’ve learned is that it is completely okay to accept who you are! It is completely okay to know your shortcomings and be comfortable with that. You’re not perfect, and failure is going to accompany you all your life. But it is okay to try and fail. It is okay to create or do something new and let people judge you.
One should understand that rejection and failure are not negative things. Those are indeed positive because ultimately you’re raising your bar beyond things which might not be socially acceptable.
You know, common things between Socrates, Gandhi, Leonardo da Vinci and several others, like women’s rights activists, animal rights philosophers, and LGBTQ rights advocates? None of them was socially acceptable. Though they believed in themselves, and the rest is history.
Here’s what you can practice:
- Embrace the discomfort. If you are planning to stay in your comfort zone, don’t expect to grow. Period.
- Pursue things which you like. Put yourself out there and be comfortable with the fact that not everybody will accept you.
- I have had a hard time suppressing the negative self-talk that happens in my brain. But eventually, I’ve learned how to neglect it, and you should too.
- Stick to a habit. Cultivate the discipline.
- More importantly, trust yourself.
- Celebrate your individuality.
- Keep it inside your head that you’re stronger than you think, more capable than you imagine and can tolerate discomfort more than you believe.
Try something from this. I’m sure you’ll realise how great you are! Also, don’t forget to be easy and kind to yourself. Choose being positive. Make time for solitude and reflect. Things will be fine. 🙂
PS: The sun is always bright if you look for it.
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