cultivating self-trust by following through

Do you trust yourself? That may sound like a strange question to some. But think of all the times you've not followed through on something you promised yourself you would.

Some people call it procrastination, others may go deeper and call it self-sabotage.

I have had so many coaching clients ask, "if I know something is good or helpful for me, why do I continue to NOT do it?" It was a question I had also asked myself throughout my life when I avoided or neglected doing things I knew, deep down, were in my best interests to do.

Self-trust is something I have committed to building over time.

That is what the image above represents. I learned Chi-lel Qigong 18 years ago. I practiced it semi-regularly for a number of years and then stopped completely for about 8 years.

I felt pulled back to the practice in April 2021 and committed to practicing daily. I was pretty consistent, but would tend to skip a few days at a time (usually on weekends). So, in April of this year I promised myself that I would complete a full 100-day cycle. I will be honest in saying that, deep down, I didn't believe I would follow through fully.

It has been amazing to watch those automatic tendencies stealthily come up. "I'm kind of sore today - maybe I'll just skip it this one time", or "who will know? You really don't have to do this", or "I deserve a break", and on and on.

I've watched as those messages flowed through my mind. I watched, I listened, but I didn't obey.

Regardless if I was feeling tired, sore, unmotivated, upset, or anything else, I just did it. And I felt better each time. One, because the practice itself has a calming, yet invigorating, effect on me. And two, because I was proud of myself for not allowing what my mind was saying to sidetrack me. 

I was building my level of self-trust.

Your mind likes status quo and predictability. It's not trying to deliberately sabotage you. Ultimately, it's trying to keep you safe by keeping you the same. The part of your mind that's doing this can't see the potential positive benefits.

It's when your level of self-awareness grows and you can acknowledge what's going on beneath the surface, while still intentionally choosing to stretch your comfort zone, that real change and growth is possible.

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Author

Learn more about Bobbi Beuree, Nova Scotia-based Coach + Facilitator