Fighting feelings of Inadequacy

One of the biggest struggles I have faced over the course of my life is a constant and consistent feeling of inadequacy. There are but few times in my life that I have ever felt equal to a task, right for a job, good enough to make the grade, or the best prospect for a potential engagement. Imagine then, the dissonance, the pressure, the discontent, the powder-keg in  my heart and mind when those feelings of inadequacy were juxtaposed against that burning desire in me to 'be somebody'. The result? Anger, frustration...jealousy even.
Now, don't get me wrong, this desire to be somebody was not a fickle (as I see it) desire for fame....I'm talking about a desire to answer my calling, to pursue my passions, to use the gifts with which I have been endowed.

Noble desire if you ask me....but one I couldn't find how to fulfill, one (if I am to be totally honest) I still struggle with. For how was I to find my way out of this bottle-neck of inadequacy?  How was I to push beyond these feelings to find my real worth? And what makes it worse is that, more often than not, these feelings do not confine themselves to one area of your life. They may manifest in your career such that it takes you longer than desired to finish a project, a task, an assignment. My propensity to procrastinate, I have found, is more appropriately addressed not as a cause, but an effect......an effect, and a symptom of my feelings of inadequacy. But they also manifest in our relationships making us feel not pretty enough or  unworthy of the love and affection being directed at us, and consequently our insecurities threaten or de-stabilize our relationships. Our inattention to our health or our appearance may all be a reflection of these feelings of not being enough.....not good enough, not pretty enough, not bright enough.

Mind games! I had often heard it said how crucial our thoughts are to our feelings, and how important our philosophies are to creating those feelings in the first place but I hadn't paid attention. Til now.  The point is, every one of us has the ability and the opportunity to create the world in which we exist by taking control of the things we believe, not just of the world around us, but that which we believe about ourselves. Everyday we have the opportunity to become intentional about what we feed our spirit, our minds. Overcoming feelings of inadequacy requires us developing a correct estimate of our abilities, taking stock of our talents, measuring where we are today in relation to where we want to be and finding ways to fill those gaps. Deliberate design.

The Christian theologian, St. Augustine of Hippo, is known to have said, "People travel to wonder at the height of mountains, at the huge wave of the sea, at the long courses of rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars, and they pass by themselves without wondering."  Deep. But the average person finds little about himself with which to be awed. And this has nothing to do with an ego trip. We are of infinite worth, but our value to others will always only be based on the estimate we place on ourselves. People believe what we tell them about ourselves and if we continue to allow our feelings of inadequacy to define us, that's the message we send. Its time to re-define yourself. It's hasn't been easy, but I have taken the bold step. I trust you will too!