“If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” ~Vincent van Gogh

If you’re like most people, you have faced many disappointments. You have faced failure and you already know how very ego-crushing it can be.

This might be especially true if you have been out looking for a job or trying to get a role in a play and you were not accepted. Maybe they thought someone else was a better fit than you. And that can be extremely disappointing, to say the very least. Or maybe it is more personal than that for you and you’re dealing with the end of a relationship or you’ve lost something you really care about.

Those are just some examples of how easy it is to get disappointed and downright crushed. It can get to the point that if it happens too often, you might feel like you need to just stop believing in yourself and you just won’t try for anything else. But don’t fall for that temptation!

The worst possible thing to do is to never try anything again because of having a lack of self-esteem and just not believing in yourself after one disappointment after another.

That is why now is the time to get up and change your mind! Life goes on, and you get to decide how it goes from here.

Believe in Yourself Again With This 5-Step Process

So, are you ready to change your path and start believing in yourself again?

Here are 5 ways to make that happen.

1. Accept The Pain

Accept the fact that you are feeling pain due to what happened and that your pain is very real. Not acknowledging your negative feelings over what happened will only cause them to fester more. Have a good cry, cuss if you must, scream into a pillow. That is the only way to accept it and to process it, and to release it so you have the room to move forward.

2. Know That The Right Thing Will Come To You

Rejection is hard, and if it happens more than once, that is when it will cause a lot of disappointment and challenge your belief in yourself. If you look at the past rejections as opportunities that were not aligned with your purpose, it makes it easier for you to believe in yourself because of knowing that you have not encountered the right one yet.

3. Talk About Your Disappointments To Someone Who You Trust And Know Who Will Lift You Up

You need to talk about how you are feeling and how you are struggling to believe in yourself after dealing with one disappointment after another. Talk to someone who you trust and know who will lift you up, and remind you that you are worthy and will find the right thing at the right time.

4. Find Anything About Yourself That You Know You Are Good At

When you are in a fragile state, it will not help to remind yourself that you are a ‘good person’. You need to be reminded of the talents and gifts you have. And you have to believe in those gifts as well. When you really think about it, you would not be able to deny that you have these gifts.

5. Try Different Approaches

Maybe the approach you are using is not helping you move forward when it comes to applying to jobs, or finding new friends, and so on. Maybe you need some coaching as far as how to approach things differently and the way you ‘market’ yourself needs to be adjusted.

Remember, disappointments are part of life and it does not mean your worth is diminished if you face them. And never stop believing in yourself no matter what happens.

This video offers additional tips for bolstering your self-esteem, even after a toxic relationship.