*Some* of us are plagued by self-doubt, self-hatred, self-loathing, self-disgust, and other icky self stuff. Presented with an opportunity to succeed, we'll talk ourselves right out of it. We either doubt our ability or question whether we deserve the chance to succeed. We avoid opportunities to shine because we fear that the negative things we believe about ourselves will be exposed. And we don't understand how others, with faults and failings we can see through our own scratched up lenses, can continue to have joy, press forward, and take life by the proverbial horns, while we cower behind our ugly little vignettes of failures and shortcomings.

photo by DoctorWho	via PhotoRee

It's spring. Time to plant some new stuff and make some changes, don't you think? (Even as I write this there's this whiny little voice in my head saying "none of the people who read your blog, few as they are, will relate to this at all ... they'll just think you're a big goober. And they'll be right!") See what I mean? It's time for a change.

"Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening]." (1 Cor 13:7 Amplified Version)

Believe the best of EVERY person ... have you ever considered that EVERY person would include yourself?

Step 1: Locate what God's word says about you. 
God's word is truth. Load up on it daily so when the uglies come to call, you can counterattack with the truth. You are His child, a citizen of heaven, a member of His household, beloved, accepted, adopted, anointed, empowered, forgiven, cleansed, made holy, made righteous, well able, fully equipped for every good work, fearfully and wonderfully made, etc.

Step 2: Identify what you DO believe about yourself. 
This step is a little more challenging. Listen for phrases like "I can't" and "that's too hard" and "I could never." Those statements are clues to what you believe about yourself, and some, maybe most, of those beliefs are ingrained in your psyche from your childhood. Do those beliefs agree with what you found out in Step One? If not, replace the negative with the positive.

Step 3: Choose the best, and only the best, to believe.
Successful, happy people don't focus all their attention on their failures and weaknesses. Do you think Martha Stewart beats herself up every day about the time she served in jail? Donald Trump has no qualms about his hairstyle, which has been the butt of toupee jokes for as long as I can remember. No, they focus their attention on the things they do well, and that's how they got where they are today. We need to do the same. God isn't focusing on all your sins and shortcomings. He's looking at your potential, looking at the gifts and graces He has invested in you. Start by finding one "best" you can believe about yourself. It might be a talent, an ability, a trait, a discipline ... anything.
Maybe you color in the lines really, really well. Or bake the very best brownies ever made (but I bet you never entered them in a contest, and poo-pooed away any compliments received.) Perhaps you know yourself to be a genuinely faithful friend or neighbor, always willing to offer whatever help you can give. Or maybe you have a knack for numbers and budgeting, or putting together a beautiful outfit, or detailing a car until it looks brand new. 

Whatever your "best" might be, focus on it this week. Tell yourself, and others, about it. The more you do, the easier it will become, and you'll begin to see all your other "bests"!

Believe the BEST about yourself. God does.