Self Esteem and Confidence: Release the Devil You Know

We hear about the importance of self esteem and confidence just about every day in the media. These are areas that many women struggle with. They have to do with an overall belief (or lack thereof) in oneself and one’s ability to make wise decisions. I find that the hardest decisions for me have to do with relationships. I’m a little more emotionally invested in those, than I am – say – a pair of shoes!

But what if those relationships are holding you back? It’s common for us to remain in relationships with “the devil we know” rather than risk the “unknown”. These can be romantic, friendship or even family relationships! I’ve seen this time and time again with clients I’ve worked with. It breaks my heart every time. Today, I’d like to share why it’s so important to release the devil you know and move on!

By continuing to remain in a relationship you know – in your heart - is not right for you, you begin to damage yourself; your self esteem and confidence. Now, I’m not talking about a quick decision here – one fight and you’re outta there. No! I’m talking about situations where you’ve tried to communicate your needs, tried to adjust your perspective, tried to forgive and move one, but it just ain’t happenin’!

There’s a difference between running from an uncomfortable situation, and recognizing that a relationship is no longer serving your best interest. By negating that inner “knowing” and choosing to talk yourself into trying to believe “it’s ok”, you begin to no longer hear that voice prompting you. All this leads to is shrinking your self esteem and confidence.

That voice is your guide – call it your intuition, your gut feeling, or even the Holy Spirit! It’s meant to be listened to. If you push it down and push it down, eventually it will give up and be quiet. The problem with that is that you begin to question yourself and doubt other decisions, not just the ones having to do with this relationship.

It becomes a ripple effect. Ignoring that guidance in one setting impacts all your decisions. You won’t trust yourself because deep down you know you’ve ignored the divine guidance that was given to you.

Fear is the culprit here. It’s just too scary to imagine making a change. But I say to you, what if you don’t??? Do you want to continue feeling smaller and weaker? Do you want to second guess every decision that comes your way? Do you want to be miserable and miss out on the opportunity to be happy if you were to make a change?

Yes, it’s scary! Any change is! But you need to clearly see the costs. Remaining in this situation will have far worse consequences. So release that devil you know and focus instead on bolstering your self esteem and confidence by beginning to tune back in to that voice and what it’s leading you toward.

What changes do you know you need to make, but have been ignoring?