“You are Braver than you Believe,
Smarter than you Seem,
and Stronger than you Think.”
~Winnie the Pooh

Recently Joy shared a video on this post. The video is powerful and a few things jumped out at me but what struck me most was this question: do you believe in yourself?

How does a person come to believe in themselves? Does it spring from the messages of childhood – or the experiences of it? My mother used to tell me I could do anything I set my mind to. This message was also delivered by my grandmother. Maybe they recognized at an early age my stubbornness, I don’t know. But I don’t think I really believed them until I’d done a few impossible things.

I’m not feeling such a strong belief in myself these days. It’s taking nearly everything I’ve got to deal with the grief of losing my son. I’m still functioning, still living, but it’s as if there is a hole in my bucket that I can’t seem to patch permanently. I seek to be content because that’s the best I feel I can do right now. I’m still doing the impossible, though. I’m still here.

People face challenges everyday – some I wouldn’t even want to imagine. (Did you watch the video?) They triumph and move on because something tells them they can. They believe in themselves.

How do you think people come to believe in themselves? Have you always believed in yourself or is this something you’ve more recently intended for yourself and claimed? Do you believe in yourself?

Photo credit: Jennifer