Do you believe in yourself? I mean more than just the absence of doubt . . . I mean, confidence . . . the complete certainty in ability or outcome. My answer to that is, sometimes yes and sometimes no. I wonder why that is?
Confidence comes from our previous success at something, from encouragement, intense desire, imagination, preparation and from courage. Yes, courage – the ability to make yourself do something even though you are scared senseless. That’s because courage and confidence are not the absence of fear, but acting in spite of the fear.
Having confidence in your ability to do something does not guarantee success, but it can keep you from quitting. Confidence eliminates worry. It can help you enjoy yourself. An I Can attitude will help you visualize success more clearly. So if there is an absence of experience, you must rely on faith and your imagination.
That’s where our affirmations, our visualizations, and those little tapes that play in our head over and over become so very important. Because as you tell yourself that you are willing to do your best; that you are an I CAN DO kind of person; that there is no room for doubt; and that you are filled with confidence and faith in your ability to succeed.
And then an amazing thing starts to happen. Because you have these powerful beliefs propelling your actions, your stress goes down, your mind works faster, solutions and ideas come to you easier. You’ll ask better questions, get better answers, give in less to temptation And then, the magic will happen . . . you will be able to tap into and use more of those talents and abilities you were blessed with at birth.
I almost ended the blog post here. But in being true to myself and flexing my courage muscles, I just couldn’t let it stop here. I’ve really been struggling for the past few weeks with some things . . . self doubt, fear, grief. You see, there are some decisions I need to make, BIG changes, and they are painful and scary. So now is when I flex my courage muscles, I push through and do what I need to do in spite of the emotions, in spite of the doubts, in spite of the fears. Here is when I walk the talk.
Today, I took the first steps towards making those changes. I have a list and an action plan. I’ll share more of this journey later, but just suffice it to say that big life changes are ahead of me, AGAIN! I took the first steps of my journey today, by going through 3 boxes of stuff, throwing most of it away, putting some in the giveaway pile, and putting the rest away. I CAN DO this one day at a time, one step at a time. I’m in a big decluttering phase, my first action plan step, which will enable me to continue with the changes I need to make in my life. It felt good getting rid of the stuff as if it were symbolic of getting rid of the baggage in my life as well. So stay tuned . . . more to come.
Deborah (Debbie) Stevens is an MBA, CPA, Money Maven who offers down to earth accounting, tax and consulting services, is a health and fitness coach, and jewelry designer and re-engineerer. With more than 10 years in public accounting and 6 years in private industry, her boundless energy and talents are now focused on making small businesses successful by analyzing the problems, discussing the issues, and crafting the appropriate solutions. Her strong, personal integrity, hard work, sheer determination coupled with a deep fun-loving view of life are what makes her tick. After having lost 116 lbs in 15 months, she has recently added weight loss and fitness coaching into the business mix. She is passionate about everything she does with a deep desire to help people. She is personable, down to earth, and ready to roll up her sleeves and get started on your business solutions. 
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Hi Debbie,
I love it when you say ‘confidence eliminates worry’. There are some things in my life that I worry about a lot, but I think you’re right, if I just had some confidence and courage in these areas I wouldn’t be worried!
As for your new journey I say go for it, keep de-cluttering it does a lot for you mentally. I love to de-clutter it feels so good and it is a great start for new things to enter your life. Well done, I look forward to hearing more
Cheers,
Lynn
Wow!
Personal Development along your journey of life.
It makes you a better person in more ways than one!
Great post!
Hi Maggie,
It’s all about the journey, right? Thanks for stopping by.
Debbie,
Awesome that you are willing to step into your life and create changes where you want. This takes true power. People who are unwilling to make changes will stay stuck! Not you, you will soar!!!
Val
Wow Val – Your encouragement is so special to me. I am stepping up to the plate and making those changes. I’m believing that I will soar.
My Tai Chi instructor said that confidence comes when you know how to do something really well and you know you know how to do it. Some people are just born with natural talents and others have to practice at things to be really good at it. De cluttering is an amazingly freeing thing to do. keep at it!
Hi Nicole,
The way your Tai Chi instructor phrased that was great – when you know you know – that’s the confidence. Thanks for stopping by.
“Confidence eliminates worry.” I love that you say that. What truth is that?! I Hope you have the courage to share your list and action plan.
Hi Patrick,
I’m grateful for your support and encouragement. I will be sharing that list and plan in my next blog. (There I’ve said it out loud, so now I will have to go through with it.)
Boy did you get that right!!! When you have the confidence in what you are doing it makes such a difference!
Hi Susan,
Thanks so much for your kind comments. Let’s get confident together, what do you say?
Hey Debbie,
Love this … “courage and confidence are not the absence of fear, but acting in spite of the fear.”
Glad to share this journey with you. You can DO IT! I have been working on de-cluttering and throwing out things for a while now. Doing it one step and day at a time.
Make it a great day!
God Bless,
-ed
Hi Ed,
Yep, that’s what I’m trying to do – act in spite of the fear. I think that’s what we are all trying to do, isn’t it? The de-cluttering and throwing out things is very cleansing isn’t it? Thanks for your support.
Your inspiration empowers thousands of people. You will not lack for people coming to you to learn the can-do attitude.
Blessings on your journey as your faith strengthens daily.
Hi Paul,
You are SO right, my faith is strengthening. I lost some of that along the way. I’m happy it’s coming back. I appreciate your comments a lot. Thank you.
Debbie,
Have to agree with Paul. You are a constant, amazing source of inspiration to me (and many others). Your can-do attitude will bring big time rewards!
Hi Dar,
You are such a great cheerleader in my life! Thanks always for your support.
So proud of you, Debbie!
Hi Kristen,
That means a lot coming from you!