Many times throughout my life I have lacked the confidence to face the task at hand in the most secure of fashion. Struggle as I may with the belief that I had less than what was needed to achieve the level of success I was after, I did not let it stop me. At least as far as I can remember.
I may have walked through the door to take my nursing licensure examination with much trepidation and fear, but I did not let that stop me. I sat for my exam and emerged with license in hand. And admittably, it was me who spent a few minutes outside a party worrying that nobody would like me. Yet, moments later, I held my head high and entered to find a little acceptance for myself. It was also me whose worries of being eaten by a shark, or the ocean itself, left me murmuring to myself (in an attempt to still my fears) after the capsizing of a canoe… but I found my composure and paddled further out to sea.
These were just a few of the moments that have transpired though my adult life where certainty was in low supply. I used to let them define me and even how others saw me. Now, however, I think of them as mere stepping stones on a path of personal growth where one challenge leads to another, and another, and another.
When these moments arise, if you happen to hear my verbalize my insecurity, please put that moment out of your mind. I want you to remember not the moment of weakness, but the moment of strength – where turn uncertainty into confidence. I’ll do the same for you.