Believing I Can
“For they will have overcome their toughest battle by taking on their poor self image and changing it from one of I can’t to one of I can…” — Rick Cox
Precious few are fortunate to have lived without the struggle of a poor self-image. Precious few have never had to deal with the constant struggle of thinking, “I am not good enough.” For precious few have ever had a childhood full of love supported by parents who understood the need for or necessity of nurturing their children in a manner that would build and promote a healthy self image. Unfortunately, most are not so lucky. I would go so far as to say the majority are not so lucky.
I can attest to how tough it is to fight the daily battle of feeling inferior. It is something I have had to deal with most of my life and still do once in a while. Overcoming a poor self image means overcoming self doubt, self defeating thoughts, and self destructive behavior. This is extremely difficult when most often these traits and patterns have been ingrained in your heart by well meaning parents, relatives, or friends. On the other hand, overcoming this inferiority will be the most rewarding of all your accomplishments; for only then will the realization come into view of how you, a child of God, made in His image, have been blessed with gifts, talents and powers He has given, to ONLY YOU.
The importance of realizing you are a child of God is a large step in being able to accept yourself. Like any child, it is only reasonable to believe your parents will help see you through all trials and struggles. Similarly, as a child of God, you would expect at least the same if not better. If for instance, you were a son or daughter in the Rockefeller Family, you would have the rights and privileges of a Rockefeller. As a son or daughter of God, you have the wealth and wisdom of the ages living in your heart just waiting for you to ask and receive; waiting for you to reach inside to get hold of who and what you are and have, in order to help you live life to the fullest. Remember however, that life is TEN percent what happens to you and NINETY percent your response. How you respond to that which happens will determine how things turn out and how you respond will be based on how you feel about yourself.
In order to change how you view yourself you have to change your subconscious thoughts for this is where the seat of creation lies. As long as you feel inferior you will have inferior thoughts, which tell you that you can’t. You will have thoughts of not being good enough. You will have thoughts of being less than those around you. In order to better your life, these thoughts have to be changed or reprogrammed if you will. I worked on my subconscious mind for years by reading, listening and praying for a change of heart. I prayed for a renewed mind and spirit. I prayed for a fresh outlook on life and what it had to offer. I was looking for a road that gave me hope rather than the dark tunnel I often saw as the only route for which I would travel the rest of my miserable life. I could see no future traveling this road for it only carried a picture of a life short lived through hard, hard work with no reward at the END, other than death.
I had grown up most of my childhood life never hearing the words, “I love you,” from my Dad. I watched as my father belittled and demeaned my brothers and me and did so believing he was making us stronger. With each passing day I grew angry and bitter, blaming my Dad for what and where I was in life. I held him responsible for why my life wasn’t working out. I wanted to prove him wrong; show him I could be a success by doing remarkable things, but I didn’t know how and nothing seemed to work for me. All roads appeared to be leading to failure and ruin. Does this sound familiar?
Previous to obtaining this change of heart, this new lease on life, a better view of how things can be, I often found myself on what I believed was the highway to success only to have that highway lead me to the same dead end over and over. I found also those, “Oh too familiar feelings,” which reminded me I would never make it and thus confirm I was just a loser.
The day this all changed happened upon the discovery that I alone was responsible for my life and its future. This was not the responsibility of my Dad, Mom or anyone else. More importantly, I recognized the inability to receive the benefits of this change if I didn’t first learn to forgive my Dad for what i thought he had done to me! I came to realize it was only through forgiveness I would be able to control my life rather than allowing the one I hated to control it. Through forgiveness, I was able to see that he had done what he thought was right. He had dealt with things in the way he believed best. I also learned when people knowingly wrong you it is best to forgive them in order to free yourself to become what God intended. Doing this opened my eyes and heart to a new world as it provided me with me with THE FRESH START for which I had been so desperately looking. I was finally free and did not know I had been a slave YET, a slave I had been to the hate and bitterness, which had taken root in my heart.
After taking action through forgiveness; my eyes, heart, and spirit opened up allowing me to believe I COULD. I was no longer consumed with self-doubts, self-defeating thoughts or a poor self-image. Even though the self-doubts and self-defeating thoughts came and went they were no longer predominant for they became weaker with each passing day. I NOW FIND MYSELF THINKING I CAN.
Best of LUCK as you
Labor Under Correct Knowledge…
Respectfully,
Rick Cox