It’s wonderful to finally feel good about yourself when for most of your life you lacked self-confidence and sometimes felt inferior to some people. Although I tried to cover up my insecurities by pretending to be something I wasn’t and drinking, inside I knew the truth, and as a result, I was never happy with who I was.
It took a lot of different experiences throughout my sobriety to achieve the level of confidence I have today. Although there are some situations in which my insecurities still surface, I can use the inner strength I’ve built to tell myself that everything will be all right. I also remind myself how unwanted and adverse circumstances helped me become a stronger person in the first place.
So where did this self-confidence I’m talking about come from? Well first let me say that true self-confidence doesn’t come from worldly achievements. Although people try to use things like job titles, fame, and wealth to give them a sense of self-confidence and self-worth, many remain insecure in their lives and some have glaring self-esteem issues.
On the other hand, when someone tries to practice a few spiritual principles like love, kindness, understanding, and tolerance toward others, they end up feeling confidence and satisfaction in themselves that they never felt before. Even people who have made improvements in their personal growth can be happier in life by giving spirituality a try.
Spirituality doesn’t mean we have to believe in God and religion. However, although I often failed at it, as I continued to practice love, kindness, understanding, and tolerance, it helped fuel an ever-growing belief that something rather than nothing created life and the universe for a reason.
This simple and basic belief is the foundation for the spiritual and personal growth I still strive for today, and these two types of growth combined give me confidence and satisfaction in myself. Today I don’t feel inferior to anyone, and I am finally happy with who I am.