Welcome.
This is a session on shortcuts to self-confidence.
Listen to it for a quick pick-me-up when you're feeling a little lost,
Or maybe you're not quite sure you have what it takes to get through your day,
Or you have something daunting ahead of you.
There's nothing for you to do in this practice.
Just receive and reflect on it.
Try and listen with your spine up straight if you can,
With some part of you on the ground.
Begin with some deepening breaths and let yourself still and settle.
Often when we look to improve our self-confidence,
When we're feeling afraid or want to do something hard,
We think we have to be someone different,
More organized,
Better,
More courageous,
More intelligent,
Tidier,
Whatever it is for you.
There's that underlying sneaky sense of,
I don't have what it takes.
I'm not quite enough for the job.
It's too daunting.
The basic definition of stress is that the task ahead of us seems bigger than the resources we have available.
And then we all get lost and flounder around and flail.
If that's you,
Welcome.
It means you're a human being.
We all do it from time to time.
But pause and stop.
And breathe.
And as best you can,
Move your attention out of your mind into your body,
Into your belly,
Into your breath.
Feel the surface you're sitting on.
Feel the extremities of your body,
Your fingers and your toes.
Feel the surface of your skin.
Bring your awareness to something other than your thoughts.
Land here in a body.
And receive these words.
Because you see,
My dear,
You do not have to be different to do the thing.
Life will keep on challenging us.
It means that we're still alive,
Still here,
Still breathing.
That we still have tasks ahead of us.
Trust that you do not have to figure out the whole thing now.
We get through hard things step by step.
Task by task,
Moment by moment,
Breath by breath.
The more we get up in our mind,
The more tangled it can get in there.
The best thing you can do to stop this hard task this hard day is to reassure yourself.
I know,
It's scary,
It's daunting,
It's overwhelming.
I do not like it.
I do not want it.
I don't know about you,
Never won an argument against life.
I've tried many times.
But what we can do,
What I have done and what I see many people doing.
Is reassessing our own resource-edness.
Remind yourself of all the times you have figured it out.
Of all the hard stuff you have lived through.
Of all that has been difficult and daunting,
That you did do.
Do you remember how hard tying your shoelaces was as a little kid?
It was nearly impossible.
And now it's the easiest thing in the world.
So breathe deeper and soften your shoulders.
Send some kindness to yourself.
And some softness.
Often when we have something hard to do,
We're even harder on ourselves.
We rev ourselves up,
Poke and prod at ourselves to make sure we do it right.
I'm sure it's well intended.
But what we actually need is to cultivate kindness.
Say to yourself the words you need to hear.
Maybe something like,
I know it's tough.
Wow,
This really is a big deal.
This really is hard,
But you're gonna do it.
You're gonna figure it out.
Or,
I don't know how you'll do it,
But I know you'll find a way through.
Find the words that are right for you to say to yourself.
And as you soothe yourself with these kind words.
Reflect that you've been feeling fear,
That you've been anxious,
That you've been worried.
No shame or shade in that.
Let yourself be human.
Let yourself be daunted.
Let yourself be you.
You don't have to criticize yourself because you're doing something tough.
And then once you've acknowledged where you've been,
How hard it's been.
Call in something different.
Feel the length of your spine.
Feel the breadth of you.
Calling a sense of dignity,
Of poise,
Of purpose.
Move your body out of this state of,
Oh,
I can't,
I'm scared.
Into something more solid.
That can feel a little tricky to do at times.
Yet we can usually call in some calmness.
We can usually call in a sense of our own competency.
Remind ourselves,
Reassure ourselves.
See yourself in the way that your best friend would see you.
Say kind things.
And then let them in,
Believe them.
Believe that you're doing your best.
But things will work out well.
But you have the gumption that it takes.
Feel yourself rooting down.
And drawing resilience up.
Have a sense of your heart beating.
And the passion and the life force that lives within you.
Calling your belonging.
You're part of this world and you do not have to do everything alone.
Even if you have to do a lot by yourself right now.
See yourself shining through this struggle.
Stepping in,
Stepping up,
Standing tall.
Call forth your best self,
Your brave self,
Your brilliant self.
Conjure yourself up.
And feel how it feels a little different in your body when you do this.
Know that you are at absolute choice,
And you can call yourself back into this state at any time during this day.
You can conjure up your best self.
You might fall out of it.
So what?
Call yourself back.
Believe in yourself.
Believe in your ability to change your own state,
To do it differently,
To rise up.
To succeed,
To struggle,
To do it differently,
And to find a good way forwards.
Really bow to yourself.
For turning towards what is hard.
And for not letting the little voices in your mind defeat you,
The critic.
The cruel ones.
Know that you're someone that can call in kindness,
That has a meditation practice,
That dares to do it differently.
That can feel their feelings and work with them in wise ways,
That you have power,
Agency,
And action.
Know that you do have what it takes,
That good things will happen for you and around you and within you.
See yourself in a good light.
Speak kind words.
And as you go forth from here,
Do so with as much dignity as you can,
With your eyes shining bright,
With your heart open,
With a little fierceness within you and a little sweetness in your heart.
Believe in yourself and see what difference it makes.
Keep conjuring your best self up,
Calling him or her or them forth.
Keep daring and do it.
I see you.
You got this.
It's going to be okay.
Keep going.
Thank you for your practice.
