Back in high school when my western civilization teacher was asked if we were going to have a test or a quiz that week or if the upcoming test was going to be a difficult one he use to respond by exclaiming, "Confidence is high!" It would be much easier and prepare us much more if we had someone in life to prepare us in this way as we ventured into adulthood as well. But what did that mean when that teacher would say "Confidence is high?" While it prepared us to know there was a test or quiz coming up, it also helped us to become more confident in what we knew as we studied the information that we needed for that test or quiz.
When I crawl out of bed in the morning the hardest thing to say let alone think is "confidence is high!" I wake up grumpy that I even have to get out of bed! However, we really do need to start off our morning with that saying. Why? Because it reminds us that we can make it through the day. It reminds us that we can accomplish things. It reminds us to believe in ourselves.
Recently, someone in my life has been dealing with a confidence issue. Last night I found myself talking to them about believing in themselves while not losing their sense of who they are. As we try to build confidence ourselves we have to make sure that we aren't losing a sense of who we are and try to be someone we are not. A typically shy person shouldn't just try to be more extroverted as they may look at how they can be more extroverted and start saying things just to say things in conversation that are hurtful to others or that shouldn't be talked about. A person with fears shouldn't just "go for it" and attack all their fears hoping to "get over it." When people in these areas try to "have confidence," when they fail, they fall big time. It shatters their confidence even more and it keeps them from moving forward in the future.
As I spoke to this person last night and they recounted how they were trying to be more confident in themselves I saw myself in them in a way. I realized what I had gone through to get me to where I was. While I am not the most confident person in the world, I worked at it. I didn't always write like this....I actually came close to failing my creative writing class in college. But I didn't have confidence at the time in myself. What I did was study. I studied my life. I studied other people and how they wrote. And I began to believe in myself. Confidence is the key to starting the vehicle of our life that takes us places. Belief and study are what gives us the key.
Today I will be working at my own confidence and how I get there. Sometimes I don't believe in myself and that is an area I have to work on. In my own career I am a supervisor. I need to start being that and having confidence that when I make a decision under that title at work that I need to stick with it and have confidence in it. So...for these last 3 days, that's where I am at. Confidence is high!
Speaking of how hard it is to get out of bed, it seems that my left knee is hurting me more and more every day, and it is really bad when I take those first steps out of bed in the morning. It's very hard to even put weight on my leg at first, but as I move around it does get better. After some time, I can even stop limping noticeably.
ReplyDeleteBut even with all this pain, I must stand up and realize that God has allowed me to rise up and meet another day and another experience. I curse my pain, but I give credit to God to give me the strength and confidence to attack another day, whatever the challenge may be in my life. Since I did get out of bed, I just might find a solution to the pain. At least I can work on finding a solution, whether it may be to take Knox Gelatin, or even surgery. By getting me up, I have the chance to make something of this day, and I will try to do so.