Self-Leadership, Self-Awareness, and Finding Courage and Confidence

Introduction

Everyone goes on an endless journey of learning, personal growth, and development as we navigate through life. I’ve continued to learn from others and become more aware of myself, who I am, who I am meant to become, and who I was. It’s truly been beautiful to watch, just as I used to admire watching others. I’m learning to appreciate watching myself grow and develop as well. I’ve grown more confident, more aware, and I’m forever UNLEARNING everything that was holding me back and keeping me stuck. 

My Story

Needless to say – I follow a lot of thought leaders who talk about personal growth and personal development, and I saw something a few years ago that really opened my eyes (I’ve had SO many moments like this on my journey, but this was a big one!). 

They said – “Imagine you are born, and your one job is to take care of this one human the best you can – Now realize that that one human is YOU.” 

That REALLY helped me see myself in a new light. If we think about ourselves as we think about caring for someone else (especially for those of us who are naturally nurturers), it’s a complete shift in perspective. 

Personally, I’ve always been SO hard on myself, and I haven’t historically taken care of myself the way I take care of others. And that takes a toll over time. 

Now, I’m relearning how to truly care for myself, nurture myself, love myself, value myself, support myself, and my self-talk is 100X more positive! 

When I get frustrated, I see that there is a part of me that needs attention, and I work myself through it. This is an amazing new skill that I wish I’d learned years ago. But I do believe everything always happens at the right time, because our creator has a perfect plan for us. We can never be early or late. 

Outcome

With these new skills that I’m learning and becoming more compassionate to myself, I’m also feeling braver and more confident. It’s not ego-driven like it felt when I was living in survival mode; it’s calm, centered, PEACE with myself, who I am, and who I am becoming. 

I’ve realized, thanks to many mentors and amazing people I have crossed paths with, that perfection is unrealistic, and it kills momentum. I am embracing being perfectly imperfect these days and recently got so courageous that I’m working on launching a Podcast. 

Background

I set a list of personal goals in January 2023 that have become habits that I incrementally build on over time. One of those was to read the Bible every morning to grow spiritually. Since I set that goal, I have read the Bible from beginning to end – twice! I’ve been wanting to do it a 3rd time, and I also had another goal to get more active with posting and sharing things that can inspire others – SO – I’m going to record my daily reading, which I’m already doing, and post it on a Podcast for others to listen. 

I pray that it’s a blessing and helps others as I embrace being perfectly imperfect and truly not doing any editing or polishing. Just raw, unfiltered Bible reading recording when I read first thing in the morning when I wake up. 

Closing 

I’m really excited to start sharing these, and I really hope it can be an inspiration to others on their faith and/or personal growth journeys. 

I highly recommend, if you’re also struggling with limiting beliefs and any of the above internal thought patterns, to find an amazing therapist. If cost is an issue, I did find this great free resource that may help: https://buddyhelp.org/

There’s also a TON of free workbooks online. I’ve been using one for CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy), and it’s been personally beneficial to me. 

*Note: I believe the person whom I quoted above was on the Mel Robbins Show, if you want to check her out: https://www.melrobbins.com/

If you want more information about my Podcast, I set up a new page with links to the Podcast channels I’ll be sharing, too. Look forward to potentially connecting with y’all there! 

Podcast Page Link

Bonus: Reflection Questions 

Are there any explanations of things that completely shifted your perspective and were potentially or actually life-changing for you? 

Have you ever thought about how you are still the same person you were when you were born and loved your inner child, who you now care for every day? 

Do you trust yourself?

“It’s not just you… no one knows what they’re doing. Including me.”

– Mel Robbins

“The goal isn’t to get rid of all your negative thoughts and feelings. The goal is to change your response to them.”

– Mel Robbins