Trust Yourself

Sometimes when I am asked a question, I find an answer will immediately pop into my head, but I don't always answer - mostly out of fear of it not being the right answer or uncertainty about my knowledge. I find myself filtering through my thoughts searching for what I think is the 'right' answer or a 'better' answer because...well...I am just not sure.

I often find my students doing the same thing. When I see this happening, I usually say:

Stop searching for what you think is the right answer and tell me the first answer that popped into your head. 

While I want my students to think, contemplate, search and question - I don't want them to think about it and not attempt a response because they are not sure. So when uncertainty in responding can be seen, I ask them for the first answer they had. I want them to know and understand that taking a risk to answer, even among uncertainty, is a great thing.

What is interesting is - often the answer they say, is either correct or heading in the right direction for learning. In the moments that it isn't, well, that is a learning moment for me to be able to see where I need to go to next and what I need to do to teach it better.

As adults, we often have the answers to the questions we are asking or being asked. I am not talking about 'content' question about work. I am talking about questions about life, the direction we are moving, the decisions we have to make etc. 

The problem is:

We don't always trust our own answers, and we question ourselves. (Is this the right decision/ Should I say this? Should I do this or that?) When that happens, we stop taking any action or making any decisions out of fear of making the wrong decision or the wrong choice.

Our little humans are the same. So it is our responsibility to learn to trust ourselves more and teach it to our little ones.

 There is no best answer!

I have spent so many hours going around in circles, feeling overwhelmed and procrastinating purely because I was searching for the best answer to a question or trying to work out what the best decision would be or the best direction to take next.

The Truth:

There is NO best of anything. There is just a decision or a step. Whatever you decide will still move you closer to where you want to go. It just might not be a straight path. But moving forward is far better than no movement at all!

So whatever you are deliberating over - just pick something and go and do it!

 You know more than you think you do!

The bottom line is this: you know more than you think you do! We are a self-deprecating society where we often undervalue what we know or what we are able to do. I think we do it because we don't want to be seen as showing off. So when it comes to taking risks in our own life and going after our dreams, we are often afraid of other people's judgement.

The Truth:

You only get ONE chance at this! This is not a practice run! You already know what you want to do in life. You might not know all the steps to get there but that doesn't matter. So trust that you know what is best for your life and go and do that! Trust yourself to choose what's right for you.

 Learn to trust the journey even if you don't understand it.

Life is confusing and messy and let's face it - it just does not make sense at times! If the process and the journey are a bit rocky at times - it's supposed to be! The rocky patches lead to learning; the learning leads to growth and the growth leads to success and achievement in life.  

 The Truth:

The universe is under no obligation to make sense to you. Whether you call it the Universe or God or whatever it is for you - it is not supposed to make sense. That's where trust comes in. All you have to do is hold the vision of your dreams and goals in life and trust the process of getting there. Trust the journey, trust the process, raise your energy and the right people and the answers will come into your life.

We put our trust in other things, other people, other situations - isn't it time we started trusting ourselves?

 As soon as you trust yourself you will know how to live. You will see, hear, feel and know that whatever decision you make or direction you take will be the right one for right now. Life is constantly flowing so a decision that is right for right now is likely to change in the future - and that is okay!

 The quickest way to acquire self-confidence and learn to trust yourself is to do exactly what you are afraid to do. Fear is the minds way of protecting us. The only way to overcome fear and learn to trust yourself is to embrace that fear and take action anyway. As soon as you have taken action, you will realise there wasn't anything to be afraid of! We just build things up in our mind and create this story of the worst possible outcome! 

 You don't always need a plan. Sometimes you just need to breathe, trust, let go and see what happens. The reality is: that we are never going to have all the details in place first, we are never going to have the whole entire plan before we start! Even if we did, the chances of the plan changing are significant! Sometimes, it is okay to not have a plan. Yes - have a goal, have a vision, take action but be okay with not having all the details in order to take some steps.

 Trust yourself. Create the kind of self that you are happy to live with all of your life. Remember to take those tiny sparks of possibility with you and keep embracing them until they become your incredible achievements! Don't quit when life gets tough because it will get tough! But if we remember that life is happening FOR us and not TO us, we will realise that we are always on the right path! Trust the timing of your life!

A few tips and questions for ourselves and our little humans to learn to TRUST ourselves:

 What can I do at this moment to move forward?

 What do I know already?

 How can I improve on this?

 How can I help someone else right now?

 Decide to be happy. (Don't rely on external sources for happiness. You get to choose it)

 Always expect the best (It's okay to be disappointed if it doesn't always work out!)

 Trust the Universe (or higher power) and the journey of life you are on.

 Celebrate the wins and the learning opportunities

 Remember to have fun along the way

 It's okay if you don't know the whole plan yet!

 Find gratitude in each day (even if some days you have to look a little harder!)

 Tell yourself: Everything will work out as it needs to.

 It's okay if you have to walk away from something or someone that no longer helps you to grow or makes you happy.

Your wings already exist all you have to do is fly! Everything you need is already within you! Everything in your life has led you to where you are right now.

Until next week....remember to trust yourself and your journey,

Clarissa xo