The Power of Believing in Yourself
Author: Christine Pepper-Wong

It took me a long time to learn the value of believing in myself. In fact, I’m still learning how to stop struggling and start believing. That’s how deeply programmed I am. Chances are, you also struggle with this challenge. Let’s see if you recognize this conversation:

“I am determined to lose weight!” Then, a defiant voice sneaks in (sometimes referred to as the Gremlin’s* voice), proclaiming, “Who are you kidding? You’ll never lose weight…in fact, you’ll keep eating until you explode!”

In less than 3 seconds, this person has gone from determination to devastation. Why does this happen to us?

I think our minds have been trained to chant self-defeating mantras partly because we’re exposed, on a daily basis, to a stream of self-negating dialog. Try listening for negating dialog in conversations around you or on the TV. Count how many times you hear someone say, “If only I could do this, but I can’t”, or perhaps, “Did you see Carol? She’s so thin – I wish I was like her, but I’ll never be like that.”

We’re enamored with the fortitude of characters, such as TV’s Ally McBeal, who wrestles every week with voices in her head: telling her she can believe in herself, then tell her she can’t. We focus so much on her spirit of never giving up but we never wonder why doesn’t she believe in herself in the first place.

Although it may be unrealistic to constantly believe in your self, I think you also need to acknowledge that you don’t have to struggle against yourself. To support yourself, I think you need to replace the Gremlin’s words with your true inner voice’s words. (The term “Gremlin” is from Richard Carson’s fabulous book entitled, “Taming Your Gremlin”). I advise my clients that: When the Gremlin tells you that you cannot make good choices about food, respond with a stronger voice of self-belief. For example, imagine a voice that reminds you: how much you know about proper nutrition, that you can ask for nutritionist support, or that you can find a friend to cheer you on.

Here are some ways I suggest clients challenge their gremlins.
5 Easy Steps to Believing in Yourself

• Become aware of the negative dialogs inside you
• Replace the Gremlin’s messages with your true positive messages
• Acknowledge your own inner strength, courage and tenacity for having come this far
• Ask for help and support when you need it…and let yourself be okay with asking for it.
• When you struggling against believing in yourself, ask: “Who is telling me I can’t do this…my true inner voice or my Gremlin?”

Chances are, your answer will be, “My Gremlin.” Simply thank your Gremlin for his or her opinion, dismiss him or her, and ask your true inner voice to turn up its volume. If you practice these steps, you will have tools for getting back on track when your Gremlin appears. ~~~

In the role of coach, I help my clients to see how we all struggle with the fears, obstacles, and self-limiting thoughts. I believe that we are all whole, creative, and resourceful beings, who can challenge these negative dialogs to create the lives we truly desire and deserve.

I hope this article has helped you identify some ways to handle your negative dialogs. Henry Ford once said, “If you think you can or think you can’t, you’re probably right.” Now the question is what could you accomplish if you believed in yourself?

You can freely reprint this article in its entirety and include the following resource box at the end: Christine Pepper-Wong is a certified professional business & life coach/author specializing in building clients’ confidence, business attitude and skills, and provides customer service skills consulting/training/coaching for restaurants, retail, and small businesses. Contact: chris@coachchris.com or 702-562-0886. Visit http://www.coachchris.com and subscribe to Business Boldness in Action e-zine.







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Christine Pepper-Wong is a certified professional business & life coach/author specializing in building clients’ confidence, business attitude and skills, and provides customer service skills consulting/training/coaching for restaurants, retail, and small businesses.

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