Believe Yourself

 I had recent opportunity to tell someone to BELIEVE YOURSELF. This is not believe IN yourself. This is a very different and (to me) ultimately more important nuance.

Believing IN yourself, to me, connotes that you believe you are capable of something. You believe you can run the distance, complete the work, get on stage, play the music. Perhaps summed up by "perform". You believe you can perform.

Believing yourself, without the little word "in" implies, instead, integrity. This means when you tell yourself "I tried", do you believe yourself? Or are you hedging? It is often said (perhaps to the point of annoying cliché) that all that can be asked is that you gave it your best. 

So. Believe yourself, do not doubt yourself. Tell yourself you tried or did your best - if you believe it, then you did. If you have doubts or come up with excuses, you are doubting yourself, not believing. Perhaps you have not earned "I tried". Perhaps you need to try again, more honestly this time.

If you DO believe yourself, well done! Keep it up. Always put yourself in the position to believe yourself.