My hope is that I can write in such a way as to appeal to a broad audience. For this reason, I put my personal beliefs in bold print. I am a follower of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Who is revealed through the scriptures. If you do not agree, you may skip the bold print. But I feel that blog readers usually read every word, whether they agree or not 😊
“But you, beloved, build yourselves up [founded] on your most holy faith [make progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher], praying in the Holy Spirit…” ~ Jude 1:20 AMPC.
I have been a “people helper” for many years now, and one of the biggest things I’ve learned – both for me and for my clients – is that inner confidence is the key to it all, and that our source of confidence must be a “Higher Source!”
There are all kinds of strategies, ways of thinking, patterns of behavior and practical tips for improving your life and feeling better about yourself, but they’re all redundant if the Foundation isn’t there. That foundation is the real you, the you that you know deep down. The trick is that it takes confidence and courage to find that and to bring out who you are – here are two keys to real inner confidence.
1. Get to Know Your Values
Personal values are a big passion of mine and I often get carried away with myself when I talk about them. I make no apology for that though!! They are one of the most important things you can know about yourself and are vital in getting genuine inner confidence. Your values are ten thousand feet down inside you, right at the very core of who you are; and they are the building blocks, the foundations, and cornerstones for you. A value is something in yourself, in others or in the world that’s most important to you, and includes things like beliefs, progress, family, fun, nature, achievement or freedom.
Why is it that some people and situations leave you feeling angry, frustrated, unmotivated, or deflated? It’s because one or more of your values is being denied, suppressed, or repressed – and we experience that as a negative experience because it’s denying a fundamental piece of who you are. You know those times when you’ve felt alive, amazing, or buzzing? Those are the times when one or more of your values are being honored, and you can get more of that by living according to them.
Your values are all yours, and no matter what happens, no one can ever take them away. You can have absolute confidence in them because they’re there all the time just waiting for you to notice and use them. When you get to know your values, you can start to make choices and align your life around them. It’s so simple and it feels amazing because all that really means is that you’re allowing who you are to live in the real world.
While I base my value system on many things, including education/learning, my Highest Source is the Hebrew Writings of the Law, the Prophets, and Psalms, and the New Covenant (Testament). A verse on confidence in God:
In the reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, and His children shall always have a place of refuge. (Proverbs 14:26, AMPC).
2. Exercise the Muscle
Confidence is like a muscle, and muscles need exercise, so that they do not shrink and waste away. The problem is that, unlike your biceps or glutes, which tend to stay in the same place, your confidence muscle can be harder to find. How do you develop your biceps or firm up your glutes? By doing exercises that are designed to work muscles over time, until you see the results you were looking for.
It’s just the same with confidence. Let’s say that you are the kind of person that does not take many risks…the kind of person who goes through each day doing what needs to be done and doing it well, but not really stretching yourself. You might talk yourself out of doing something because it’s too scary or because you think to yourself ‘I am not good enough,’ ‘That’s not who I am’ or ‘I don’t really want it anyway.’ That kind of person lives within self-imposed boundaries -what they know and what keeps them safe and comfortable. The fewer risks they take, the less confident they need to be and so the less confident they become.
To work your confidence muscle, you need to be prepared to take risks – big or small. You need to be willing to stretch yourself in an unfamiliar direction, to try something new or try something in a slightly different way. You need to open yourself up to the possibilities around you and push yourself to increase what you know, what you do and who you are. The more open you are to risk, opportunity, and possibility the more confident you need to be. Develop more confidence!!! That’s your confidence muscle – the question is, what are you going to do to exercise it?”
My Final Word
Keeping oneself spiritually fit enables a person to experience a “Higher Source” of strength from which to draw inner confidence:
But grow in grace (undeserved favor, spiritual strength) and recognition and knowledge and understanding of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (the Messiah). To Him [be] glory (honor, majesty, and splendor) both now and to the day of eternity. Amen (so be it)! ~ 2 Peter 3:18, AMPC
REFRAME YOUR INNER IMAGE!!! 💜
© Minister Mc, 2021
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