Today we are talking about selling yourself short. I've been learning a lot in the last month about the power of how we think when it comes to habits we want to change. Particularly when it comes to the subconscious mind. Your subconscious mind believes what you say (and think) and tries to make it come true. (For example, if you keep saying 'I always eat too much', it's more likely that tonight you will. If you're continually saying you're a terrible friend, you may find it more difficult to write that letter you planned.) Your brain likes patterns, and it likes to be right.
Now, I'm not advocating that you run around saying you're an athletic scientist when in fact you like chemistry and do yoga most days. But I'm talking about stopping our habitual, unconscious snubbing of ourselves, when we could be using our words (and thoughts) to encourage others, hold ourselves accountable, and speak even truer words. I'm all for sarcasm (no one knows this) and some good self-deprecating humor, but remain conscious of what you're doing and don't let this carry over into constant negativity. Speak with hope. Honesty is about admitting when we're wrong and admitting we don't know, but it's also about saying yes, and about speaking up when you have the answer. Be on the alert for both types of lies.
A few instances have come up in the past week that have me mulling over this. On the surface they seem common-place, but they gave me a wealth to think about.
Twice in the last week I've been asked if I own the coffeeshop that I work at. And I kind of laughed and said No, I was just an assistant manager, and muddled on from there. But the second person I talked to replied, "There's no just about a manager." And I realized he was absolutely right.
I will often use the word 'manager' as if it were a courtesy title, ever anxious that I don't leave the 'assistant' part off. But the truth is I am trusted, allowed, and expected to manage. Which I do.
And it occurred to me that whenever people ask what I do I tell them I'm a barista. This is true. Manifestly. And it's probably my favorite part of the job. But that is not my complete job-description anymore. I am also a coffee-roaster, and one of the managers. Not everyone needs to know that, of course. I don't have to stop saying I'm a barista. But I do need to stop saying 'just'.
On a similar note, I saw this post by the Edie I keep referring to lately, where she recounts how she slayed a workout only to find that because she'd misunderstood the rules, it 'didn't count'. And if this isn't a brilliant example, I don't know what is. Because we can all sympathize with the frustration of such a thing: we've all been there in some capacity. But the world, the flesh, and the devil, conspire to make us believe this means It Didn't Count: that the hard work and the dedication and the way we do the right thing, and test our limits, and live to the fullest, and appreciate the gifts we've been given... that it only counts if our name makes it on the board. And it's just not true. Let me tell you my jaw dropped when I saw the weight complexes and kipping pull-ups she was doing: I hope I can do that some day (when the stars have aligned and so have money, health, and my relationship with pain).
It all counts.
Because look at how strong we're getting? And I'm talking about all kinds of dragon-slaying: fighting the fog, fighting depression, fear, anxiety, shame. WODs, housework, homework.
Bend that bronze. Psalm 18 shows us a picture of great peril "the torrents of destruction assailed me",
of God's deliverance "he rescued me because he delighted in me",
and then of God as a trainer "he trains my hands for war so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze".
"For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall."
Don't tell me any of those walls don't count. He knows.
The biggest problem with selling yourself short is actually that we're minimizing the work of God. If we don't acknowledge the great profundity of our lives, the strides we make, the glory we carry, it can stunt our gratitude and even our witness. We are those for whom Christ died! We have been bought with a price, and He has declared who we are. Will you disparage His work by ignoring His words? He has called us friends and brothers, righteous and victorious, free and accepted, triumphant heirs, the temple in which He lives.
Who Does God Say That I Am?
I came across this, and have bookmarked it to read on the daily. I hope you read it. It's a profound reminder of the truth, and I hope it changes the way we live. (And that's just the highlights from a vast story that is only the tip of a grand and infinite mystery!) I'm telling you, this stuff is amazing.
1 comment:
Yes, in every way! This is wonderfully encouraging! Thank you!
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