Have you ever been asked this question? “Who do you think you are?” Usually this question is posed with a hint of judgement as if you stepped out of line or you offended someone. I want you to really ponder this question for a moment. Who do you think you are? No judgement, just love and acceptance. If anyone ever doubted that you could achieve something that you set out to do, or if they doubted your potential, you may question your own abilities to achieve or become who you have always wanted to become. For a moment, I want you to take away the self-doubt and/or the doubt that was imposed upon you by someone, who themselves, did not know their own abilities and they passed on their own self-perceived limitations on to you. People often will project their own fears onto others, the problem is that, on some level, we believe them. There can also be another option, which is that we become aware of other’s struggles and we do not hold them as being our truth.
When I was younger, I was never told by my parent’s that I could not do something, if anything, it was the opposite. I was told that I could do anything I set my mind to. Some of the people who told me I would not amount to anything, they may not have realized it, but those words set a trajectory for me, not only making something of my life that I am proud of, but also, those words of doubt propelled me to ensure that I showed up for myself, specifically in my education. I am 55 years old, and in 2022, I decided to go back to school to earn my doctorate. I do know that the people who told me I would not amount to anything, truly did not see their own potential. I want to scream from the rooftops, that you can be who ever you want to be. With that being said, who do you think you are? Are you uncertain about your abilities? Have you bought into someone else’s belief’s about themselves that they were limited and were not capable of achieving things in life that are important to them.
As Glennon Doyle says “You can do hard things.” If you feel that no one would support your decisions for personal growth, whether it is going back to school, attending events or learning new things, I am here to tell you that I believe that you can. You can, you will and you owe it to yourself to embrace whatever it is that you have postponed because of fear. I hope that you will go deep inside of the vessel that your soul is carried around in and reflect on your heart, your mind and your soul. Find the version of yourself that needs you to show up for yourself and do it! The beautiful thing about being human is that we evolve throughout our lifespan, and we learn different adaptabilities as we age, one of those adaptabilities is wisdom. I would really love some thoughts and feelings about who you think you are. If you are willing, please email me your thoughts. My email address is bernadette@findingapathway.com and I will respond to you. My sincere thank you for reading my thoughts.
In service,
Bernadette Gaumer, LCSW