BELIEVE IN YOURSELF
“Once we believe in ourselves we can risk . . . . “ e.e. cummings
e.e. cummings: “Once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit.”
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It is really hard to get this one down — “believing in yourself” is a scary undertaking. Maybe, if we are very lucky, we know ourselves a little. If yes, we know why we should — or could — believe in ourselves. We also know why we shouldn’t or couldn’t! But if we do get there and “believe in ourselves” most of the time, or even some of the time — then and only then can we risk! Otherwise, it’s waaaay too scary!
And we need to risk; to question, to study, to try, to solve. We need to feel awe and beauty and inspiration. We need to find joy and pleasure and fun. We need to experience giving and receiving and sharing love; and we need to communicate those feelings. We need to understand what being “human” means, and learn how to get there.
Believing in ourselves is like giving ourselves permission, even encouragement, to grow and to become.
Thank you, Michael E. Waddell, for reminding me of e.e. commings in your Face Book quotation: “It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.”






