5 Self-belief Quotes I Wish I’d Read in My Youth.

Believing in myself took 60 years — now I’m showing up to share!

I’ve revisited the underlined bits of my favourite books and picked just 5 quotes encapsulating something about ‘self-belief’.

I hope you agree that these quotes are not of the ‘positivity meme’ overused genre.

Unfortunately these quotes come from books not yet written when I needed them!

I hit my self-conscious and suggestable teens in 1970.

My reading material evolved from ‘Jackie’ to ‘19’ to Cosmopolitan magazine.

Strictly speaking Cosmo was meant to be liberating, empowering… but it was full of beauty ads and ‘how to be sexy’ articles!

I devoured a few Jilly Cooper romances on the side.

I played Diana Ross ‘You are Everthing’ on repeat. (Picking the needle up and putting it back to the groove.)

I wallowed in a song aptly called ‘Feelings’ by Morris Albert.

Feelings Nothing more than feelings Trying to forget my feelings of love

Teardrops Rolling down on my face Trying to forget my feelings of love.

I didn’t figure out the non-torturous self-belief version of ‘love’ til decades later.

I was drunk on the dopamine-feeding drama of self-inflicted ‘heartbreak’!

But, back to the book quotes.

Self-Belief quotes that pack a gentle punch.

These are the messages I should have been feeding my young brain with.

1.

Playing a role that is chosen for you is like constructing a false front. Your precious resources get poured into the image while the actual building — the real, authentic you — is left wanting.

2.

As my confidence grew, I found too that I didn’t have to abandon my personality. I could toss in a little dry humour and even a few self-deprecating remarks. I didn’t have to stop being myself. I could be warm and strong. I could have style and substance.

3.

I will not hold on to a single existing idea, opinion, identity, story, or relationship that keeps me from emerging new. I cannot hold too tightly to any riverbank. I must let go of the shore in order to travel deeper and see farther. Again and again and then again.

4.

Expressing yourself authentically means having the courage to stand out from those around you. Not for the sake of being different or seeking attention, but because you are committed to expressing yourself in a way that’s truly congruent with who you are, even if who you are isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.

5.

Labels are sticky. They’re great for organizing your cupboard; but when people put clingy, hard-to-remove labels on themselves, it can prevent creative growth. And sometimes labels have incorrect information! That’s why what’s inside the can matters. Your inner critic may have slapped on any number of labels: “Imposter,” “Just a Mom,” “Cubicle-Dweller,” “Self-Taught Amateur,” “Art School Dropout.” It’s time to get some warm, soapy water and start peeling those limiting labels off, so that we can see what’s actually inside.

Looking at that last quote, I realise that I had two of those labels!

I’ve done a lot of unsticking.

How I eventually learnt self-belief?

I could share photos from my younger days that would give the impression of a woman full of self-belief.

But I know how I felt inside when those photos were taken.

Self-belief thrives when outside and inside align.

I now feel aligned.

Here are some of the ways I came to believe in myself:

• Self-awareness. Spotting that something wasn’t quite right.
• Pursuing activity that made me feel good — for me.
• Finding my tribe — switching the suffocators for the supporters.
• Owning my achievments — joyfully embracing positive feedback.
• Exploring rather than blindly following ‘expert’ advice.
• Using my own words. Like — ‘self-squashing ’!

I will leave it there for now.

More musings from this wise old woman to come.

Stay curious and unsquashed

Trisha :)

Apart from being a wise old woman - I am a wise and wonderful communication and confidence coach!

Have a look at my website :) Plenty of 'unsquashing' resources there too.