ESC Weekly Newsletter #2 — “The Power of Believing in Yourself”
I want to start this second newsletter with something I’ve struggled with myself: believing in myself. Most people don’t realize it, but the loudest voice in our life is the one inside our own head. And if I’m being honest, mine hasn’t always been kind. For years, that voice was critical, doubtful, and unforgiving. And if you’re anything like me, maybe you know exactly what I’m talking about. The truth is, a lot of people don’t actually believe in themselves. It’s not that they don’t want to, it’s that somewhere along the way life convinced them they weren’t enough. Maybe someone told you that directly, or maybe it was through rejection, heartbreak, or being overlooked one too many times. Whatever the reason, once that seed of doubt gets planted, it grows fast. When you don’t believe in yourself, it shows up everywhere. At work, you hold back your ideas, second-guess decisions, or settle for less because you assume someone else must know better. In relationships, you stay quiet when your needs aren’t being met, or you tolerate things that hurt you, because deep down you don’t believe you deserve better. And in daily life, you find yourself procrastinating, talking yourself out of dreams, or quitting before you even start, because that inner voice keeps saying, “Why bother? You’ll fail anyway.” I’ve seen this in my own life. Times when I’ve played small, when I let my doubt run the show. And the hard truth is, life will always shrink to the size of the belief you have in yourself. When you stop trusting yourself, the world stops trusting you too. But here’s the flip side: when you do believe in yourself, things begin to shift. You carry yourself differently. You speak with more confidence. You start setting healthier boundaries. You go after opportunities that once felt impossible. You attract people who treat you with the respect you’ve already given yourself. And no, believing in yourself doesn’t mean you never doubt again. I still doubt myself sometimes. But now I’ve learned that self-belief is not about getting rid of doubt. It’s about deciding that doubt doesn’t get to drive the car anymore.