The following event led to my lowest point of self-confidence - but don’t worry, there’s a happy ending to this story.
I remember being at the emergency hospital and the surgeon telling me what he was about to do with my left eye. At the time, I was in shock, and I was bleeding internally (behind my eyeball).
It was the beginning of a three-year recovery from a serious eye injury. I had no idea how my life was about to change for the worse - or how my confidence would vanish.
Slow down and trust yourself
Think about your level of self-confidence for a moment, and then read this quote from American Scholar, Joseph Campbell:
It is by going down into the abyss that we recover the treasures of life. Where you stumble, there lies your treasure.
Ask yourself, regarding your self-confidence, where do you stumble?
The abyss Campbell is talking about can be thought of as your ability to sit with yourself long enough to make peace with your insecurities and go on to discover the treasure of self-confidence within you. In other words, summon the courage to confront yourself honestly. To do that: slow down and trust yourself.
How everything started
Earlier that day, before the hospital, I had been at work with my boss; we had been renovating a bathroom in a residential home.
As we prepared the area for laying the ceramic tiles, I reached for a hammer and chisel because I needed to remove a stubborn piece of wood from between a new door frame and the wall.
On the third strike, a tiny splinter broke off the chisel and flew directly into and through my left eye. My safety glasses had been on top of my head. Then, I saw blood.
The painful path to recovery
Fast forwarding: the operation was successful. The surgeon was able to remove the tiny metal splinter from behind my eye. However, what followed was 3 years of pain, frustration, and depression.
My eye was meant to heal in a month, but the medical specialists could not tell me why my eye continued to be inflamed and painful to even the smallest amount of light.
Soon enough, I was unemployed, and I ran out of money. My girlfriend broke up with me. The doctor prescribed some strong medication to cope with the eye pain. And he was almost going to diagnose me with an auto-immune disorder called Bechet’s.
At 28 years old, depression hit, and I was the farthest from feeling confident I’d ever been.
Ask your heart
I remember the day I realized the importance of slowing down and trusting oneself. I found a book on my shelf at home and turned to the first page. It read:
“Ask your heart, what it is trying to tell you, and then wait for an answer.”
So I gave it a shot. I took a moment to calm myself and deepen my breath, and asked.
After a few moments of silence, a thought entered my mind, “slow down and trust yourself.” It’s what I needed to hear.
My life up until that point had been one of self-imposed pressure, doubt, and anxiety. In other words, I had been trying to succeed in life way too fast and working myself into a ball of stress.
A new beginning
Within a year, I had found a new job, my life was getting back on track and my eye had
dramatically healed. Even the medical specialists were surprised.
When I recall that moment in my life, I am able to be grateful with life because it led me to discover a great treasure within myself: self-trust. I learned that a bad event can sometimes lead to a good event.
I also believe you can turn your life around and become confident, even after a significant fall or injury, either to your body or your pride.
Start building your self-confidence
This story and others like it are included in my Platzi course: Curso para Desarrollar Autoconfianza. The course includes 15 lessons with tips, profound insights and activities to help you increase self-confidence.
If you are a student, or starting a new job, or want to become an entrepreneur and start your own business, this course is a great place to start building self-confidence.
Remember, slow down and trust yourself.
Curso para Desarrollar la Autoconfianza
