The Negative Things We Believe about Ourselves

Picture by Klara Pospisilova

Everyone of us at one point in our life, has doubted our own abilities. It seems as though this type of thinking is embedded into our genes. We have thoughts of unworthiness or we question are talent and hard work; was this enough?. I have heard interviews with well-known actors, comedians, and prominent influencers in business who have talked about doubting their abilities. The Supermodel Cameron Russell did an entire TED talk on how low self-esteem plagued her and is rampant in the modeling industry (click here)

Why do we learn to believe negative ideas about who we are and for that matter when do we first start to believe them? How do we overcome this self-destructive cycle? I wrote an entire book about this subject but it is certainly worth going over again. The message is extremely vital and one which opens doors which we never knew existed. There were so many roadblocks in my own life that I wasn’t aware even existed. Our upbringing, including culture, religion, and community, hides and camouflages them from us. Some people are fortunate enough to stumble across the path to defeat them but it is extremely difficult without a thorough self-examination and seeing a need to change. The simplier road is to point the finger at someone or something else and blame that for our own shortcomings.

Facing our faults is not an easy task. It isn’t something you look forward to shouting from the rooftops however, when we are able to overcome them, it is a wonderful experience. I hope others will want to share their own stories of self-discovery and victory over those negative things that we used to believe about ourselves.

When do we first begin to believe negative thoughts about who we are? I would enjoy your thoughts and mine will be shared in the next post.