Having Faith in Yourself, No Matter What
You are enough. Let that sink in. I’ll say it again. You. Are. Enough.
All too often, you allow others to define you, to determine how far you can and will go. The truth is, no one is the boss of you, except you yourself. Getting past those old beliefs and triggers, and taking a leap of faith in yourself requires courage and determination. It takes a willingness to fail, or to succeed imperfectly, and to get up over and over again. You have to recognize the small successes, and what you’ve learned from every single attempt. Most of all, you have to give yourself credit for showing up.
Here’s another one for you. You’re never too old, and it’s never too late. There are so many things I started in my 40’s, 50’s and 60’s, and many more I’ll probably add to the list at some point in the future. I got my BS in accounting in my 30’s after changing majors several times since I was 18. So what? No one said the path has to be straight, or you have to decide your future at any point in time, be it 18 or 80. Sometimes, the side roads you take are more interesting, rewarding, and enlightening than any single-minded road you could take.
Keep Those Lessons Coming
I can honestly say I’ve learned more in the last 20 years than I learned in the first 40-odd 
because that’s when I finally gave myself permission to do things imperfectly, and to stop believing the stories others told me about myself—to have faith in me. How could they possibly know what lurked deep inside me? In all honesty, I didn’t know myself until I started breaking down walls and ditching the masks so I could look in the mirror and see all the cracks and crevices that made up my reality.
I’ve learned there ain’t no such thing as perfection. No matter how well you do something, or how good you think you’ve gotten, there will always be room for improvement. There will always be more to learn, if for no other reason than the world is constantly changing. New discoveries are made all the time. New inventions become available. If you’re staying in one place, the only thing you’re getting is left behind.
And boy, was I getting left behind in so many ways until I literally woke up from a decades-long nightmare. I spent 2/3 of my life in one of those dreams where you want to open your eyes and wake up, but somehow, your eyes won’t open. It feels like your eyelids are too heavy to lift, and may be super glued down as well. I was clueless and blind, and had no idea the only one who could change things for the better was me.
I had to release my perspective of reality before that could happen, and though it wasn’t exactly comfortable, it was familiar. I had to have faith I’d land on my feet no matter how far or hard I might fall.
New Adventures Begin With a Single Leap of Faith
I learned your life won’t change until you take a leap of faith—in yourself. For those like me who lingered under the gross misconception you’re unworthy, I have to tell you, the first step is a doozy! In hindsight, I think it has to be or you’d scurry back into that safe, miserable world without a second’s thought.
When you go tumbling like a baby bird who’s been kicked out of the nest, you have to figure out how to fly on your own, because there’s no going back to the way you were.
Whether it’s starting a business, bucking for a promotion you know you deserve, or leaving a miserable marriage, it all comes down to having faith in yourself; being confident you’ll land on your feet…eventually. Otherwise, you’ll stay where you feel safety in the familiar, and risk nothing. Or nothing except your own happiness. That’s what did it for me.
Every time I’ve taken a leap of faith, it’s been because I realized I didn’t need to continue being unhappy. It was my litany when I left my marriage. “Life is too short to be this unhappy”. It propelled me out of a job and career I’d grown to despise even though I had no plan or safety net. For the record, I haven’t looked back. Not even once.
You’ve Got to Believe in Yourself
If you’ve started a business, changed careers, gotten married or divorced: it all meant you 
believed in yourself enough to take a chance on starting something new. The trouble is, a lot of people make a couple of giant leaps, then settle in like couch potatoes to ride out the rest of their lives without reaching for more. I say to those who choose the easy path, you ain’t dead yet, so stop acting like you’ve come to the end of your journey.
Those who lead the fullest lives seek adventure, and are never satisfied with the status quo. It doesn’t mean you have to leap out of an airplane, or go bungee jumping. Adventure comes in many forms. For me, it’s meant finding my way in a completely new career path, creating a totally new lifestyle, and most of all, jettisoning anything and anyone that didn’t support a lifestyle that could change direction at any moment.
In fact, the only real constants in my life are my cats, my books, my unwavering faith in myself, and the structure in which I live, and currently call home. My hopes and dreams keep changing, aside from the big, long-term ones. I’ve learned to assimilate as much new information as I can along the way so those dreams can ultimately take me to a place where evolution continues to manifest, and new dreams come to fruition. I’ve learned to live a life where the only true constant is change.
Conquering Your Fear of the Unknown
Scary? To many it’s terrifying, but it’s like being scared of the dark. You’re not truly afraid of what is. You’re afraid of the unknown. If you’re totally honest, every day contains an element of surprise. You don’t know what’s around the next corner, or what may alter your plans, much less what you can achieve if you spread your wings and jump off that cliff. The truth is, you don’t need to know, because if you did, you’d try to control the outcome, and in so doing, miss out on the ultimate gift; a reality beyond anything you could possible imagine.
Small business owners are especially challenged right now. Many businesses won’t survive. Those that do aren’t trying to control the outcome. They’re riding out the storm, and allowing themselves to look at what they’re doing from different perspectives. Most of all, they’re not losing faith in their ultimate survival. Whether B2B or B2C, the buying community has changed irrevocably. The world has changed, and the old version of “normal” is gone for good.
As I see it, you have 2 choices: sit on the shore and wait, or build a raft and ride the current without trying to control the outcome, or clinging to expectations. If you ask me, flexibility, faith, and resilience are your best qualities.
About the Author
Sheri Conaway is a Holistic Ghostwriter, and an advocate for cats and mental health. Sheri 
believes in the Laws of Attraction, but only if you are a participant rather than just an observer. Her mission is to Make Vulnerable Beautiful and help entrepreneurs touch the souls of their readers and clients so they can increase their impact and their income.
If you’d like to have her write for you, please visit her Hire Me page for more information. You can also find her on Facebook Sheri Levenstein-Conaway Author. And check out her new group, Putting Your Whole Heart Forward.
Be sure to watch this space for news of the upcoming releases of ” Rebuilding After Suicide” and “Sasha’s Journey”.
