On becoming a true believer.

Some people I know lack confidence. Sufficient confidence. They have some of it. But not enough. If they had half of the confidence that I have in them, they'd be all right. If they are faced with a little bit of a setback, if something doesn't go quite right, they begin to dissolve. They melt. Into a puddle. And I see it as a lack of confidence. They keep thinking that little things will go from bad to worse. They lose sleep over it. A confident person would see to it. Get the problem fixed one way or another. I could cite 100 examples. Of how they melt. Because they lack confidence. My gawd. They've accomplished so much in life. They've obtained a good education. They've learned so much. They've even come to the rescue of other people in need. They've cultivated successful careers. And still, they lack confidence. That's preposterous. They let little things defeat them. The little intricacies of daily life. That's absurd. They have so many natural talents. And still, they lack confidence. That's why they have headaches. Why they feel nausea. Why they become nervous. Why they have sleepless nights. They are afraid that they won't succeed. That they'll fail. That they can't fully handle life. Because they are feeling overwhelmed. Unsure of themselves. Sure, they've had some failures in life. Maybe even a failed marriage. But we all fail. One way or another. Repeatedly. That's part of life. We're supposed to turn our failures into learning experiences. That's how we gain confidence. We quickly learn that we can overcome. Overcome almost anything. If only we start believing in ourselves. I tell them that I believe in them. Now it's up to them to become their own true believers. --Jim Broede