I’m not impressed by every inspirational quote I see on Facebook, but this one stopped me in my tracks:

note to self:
if you were able to believe in Santa Claus for 8 years,
you can believe in yourself for like 5 seconds.
OK – you got this. **

Wow.

I was immediately transported back to childhood, when my sense of wonder was fully intact and I was so willing to be inspired. I believed I could be a ballerina. I saw myself owning a horse and galloping across the beautiful countryside. Later I saw myself as a doctor, helping people heal where they hurt.

I never became a horse owner or a ballerina (although I did take lessons, and I dance until this day). The dream of becoming a doctor took forty years to come to fruition.

I don’t often talk about this, but I dropped out of undergraduate pre-med studies because I got a “C” in one of my classes. In the family I grew up in, that wasn’t acceptable: we either got As, or quit.

A silly letter of the alphabet derailed me from my dream for decades.

Only later, with lots of life under my belt, did I realize how deeply my belief in myself had been set back by an expectation that wasn’t even my own. I’m so grateful that even at that late date, I found the courage and support to take back my belief in myself, get back on the path of my dreams and graduate with that medical degree.

Has a big “C” set back your belief in yourself?

The effects of cancer are certainly more profound than a “C” on a report card. But after years of helping cancer survivors recover their health and rebuild the confidence that they, too, can live a life they love, I can say this for sure:

You once believed in yourself, even if that was long ago. Despite everything that’s happened since, you’re still wired to believe in yourself. Yes, cancer may have brought a new set of challenges to overcome. But deep down, you’re bigger than those challenges.  You just have to believe you are.

Are you willing?

Your turn. Tell me below:

• What challenge did you once believe was insurmountable, that you were able to overcome? How did that feel?

• What’s one thing you’d do this year if you believed you could?

**Thanks for the inspiration, Smashed Peas and Carrots Facebook page!