Earlier this week I was driving to meet my writer support group of one, and serendipitously saw a bumper sticker that spoke volumes to me in its five words.
It said, "Don't believe everything you think."
Oh... That's right. I routinely forget that lesson. Kind of embarrassing, really, considering I am a firm believer in cognitive-behavioral therapy.
That is how dastardly self-doubt is, though. It sneaks without footprints into your brain, and waits until you are distracted with the cares of life to rear it's ugly head. "You can't do it," it says. "You're wasting your time." "You might as well give up." Don't believe everything you think.
Conversely, self-pride can lead us astray as easily as self-doubt. "It's okay if you do that." "You know what you're doing, they don't know anything." "I don't need anyone's help." Don't believe everything you think.
The truth is in the middle. The bumper sticker is really a call to discernment. It encourages us to examine ourselves and our thoughts, keep the wheat and throw away the chaff. By knowing who we are, and what we believe about the world and ourselves, we become much more stable in all endeavors. Then we are not so likely to be tossed around by fleeting thoughts, and much more able to meet our goals and dreams.
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