Believing yourself feels hard, but doubting yourself makes life harder

A while ago, I came across this post on Instagram. I usually save this sort of posts because they resonate so much. So I was just checking it but I cannot find it. I am glad I took a note of it. What the post said was: Believing yourself feels hard, but doubting yourself makes life harder. Simple, yet so powerful.

Indeed, sometimes - well, probably often - believing in yourself feels like the harder choice in the moment. Doubt can feel safer, more familiar, almost like a protective shield from disappointment. But here’s the paradox: while believing yourself and taking that scary step might stretch you in the short term - feeling uncomfortable, doubt quietly makes the path forward heavier and harder in the long term. When you choose to doubt yourself, you might avoid discomfort today, but you also delay the growth, confidence, and opportunities that your future self deserves.

Think of it like training for a marathon. On any given morning, it feels easier to skip the run and stay in bed: the short-term win for your present-self. But every time you lace up your shoes and push through the miles, you’re not just building endurance for today, you’re investing in the strength and stamina your future self will rely on at the starting line. Self-belief works the same way. Each time you choose to believe, even when it feels heavy or uncertain, you’re adding to the reserves of courage, resilience, and trust that you’ll need later when the stakes are even higher.

Every decision is a vote for either your present-self or your future-self. The present-self craves comfort and relief; the future-self is built on those moments you chose courage over fear, persistence over excuses, and self-belief over hesitation. Over time, those choices compound, creating a version of you who is stronger, wiser, and more confident than you ever imagined.

So the next time belief feels like the uphill stretch of the run, remind yourself: yes, it’s hard now, but this is how you cross the finish line tomorrow. Choosing to believe today is choosing the freedom, fulfillment, and strength that doubt could never deliver.