— COUNSELOR TROI. LOUD AS A WHISPER. 42477.2

Most of us have less than we’d like. A few of us operate on very little. And all of us, sooner or later, will face that terrifying moment where our personal supply of it seems to have evaporated entirely.

We often talk about “confidence” in this way—as if it’s some kind of commodity we can measure and use and sometimes “run out of” like the fuel in the combustion-powered vehicles of past centuries. And yet most of us also recognize that confidence is an inner quality. A faith.

The problem is, faith in oneself doesn’t come out of the blue. We usually “earn” it by attempting new things and generally succeeding at them. And if, instead, we experience mostly failure in those attempts, then maybe it’s just as well we’re not confident since, that way, we’re less likely to go out and fail again.

On the other hand, maybe the problem is our mistaken assumption that “faith in oneself” means relying solely on one’s own resources. Or on needing to succeed.

Genuine confidence flows from our sense of being connected to resources beyond our own—or beyond anyone else’s. It’s the realization that the power which created the universe lies within us… that it nurtures us still, even when we “fail.” And sometimes because we do.

My strength lies in being aware of my connectedness to The Universe—and through it, to others.

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The above meditation is taken from Going Boldly on Your Inner Voyage © 1999-2004, IF Books.

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