This small little paperback by Alan McGinnis is an excellent primer on building self-confidence based on biblical principles. It doesn't read "churchy" and therefore can be a nice crossover read for those who are open to spiritual themes. The Twelve Rules for Building Self-Confidence include:
1. Focus on your potential instead of your limitations.This third principle is one I struggle with. How can we separate the two? This may be at the heart of a lot of self-improvement. It's a struggle worth winning. This resource is engaging enough to help - deep enough to hold my attention; free from a lot of off-putting lingo.
2. Determine to know the truth about yourself.
3. Distinguish between who you are and what you do. (p. 10)
3 comments:
I struggle with #3 also. Whenever I meet someone for the first time, I used to ask, "so what do you do?" How rude! Now I've changed it to "so what's your story?" :-) I have to be reminded often that who we are is so much more than what we do. We were created for a purpose, and what we do is but one way in which we carry out that purpose. Sounds like a good read.
Thanks for the comment on my blog earlier. Not often do I find readers I don't personally know brave enough to comment.
My brief reflection, for what it's worth, is that principles one and two are in tension. To be fair, I could merely be misreading the first, and having not read the book, it's entirely possible. However, it seems to me that a determination to know the truth about one's self necessitiates knowing one's limitations as well as potential. Personally, I've found it helpful to be honest about my limitations with myself and others and freeing to rely on someone else for something I'm simply rubbish at.
Tyler,
You make a great point. Being realistic and yet full of faith is a Christian tension at its core. We are sinners yet saints - both are realities, but the faith side pushes us toward holy living.
Lyn
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