Dear %$firstname$%, I was thinking. Actually, I was thinking out loud to Minda. "You know, the fact is, I just don't like getting emails where I have to click somewhere else. I save those emails 'til later, and then I never open them. Why don't we just include our I Listen to Spirit Blog right in my Beauty & Spirit Note?" So that's what we decided to do. I don't know whether that means this note is going to get really long, or what. But let me know how you like it. Today's I Listen to Spirit Blog is on that elusive but pervasive influence over all of our lives: Self-Confidence. Dear Guides, What is self-confidence? Why are some people less confident? Are there ways to develop the kind of self-confidence that does not rely on having special abilities or proving oneself? Excerpt from Minda’s channeling on 5.5.2010: Dear Ones, We love your concern for your fellow man, many of whom do struggle with this issue. It is much more prevalent than you might imagine. Even the many who show no signs of a lack of self-confidence have moments, many more than you would ever imagine, where they feel insecure or unsure about their voyage through this lifetime. Self-confidence comes from having good-feeling answers to inner questions. These are the questions of one’s self about who you are, why you are here, are you having anything to contribute to others, will you be recognized by others, and are you truly worthy to be taking up your corner of the globe? When you have an inner knowing that you are important, worthy in your own or God’s eyes (or whatever manner of measurement is meaningful to you), then you have a natural sense of ownership which carries you through many of life’s bumps. It is almost as if having this inner knowing is like having greased your car or having good suspension on your car. It makes for a much smoother ride, with less jostling and jolting shocks and upheavals. So it is a very valuable attribute and one worthy of developing. Some of you don’t have it because you are in fact here to discover that very inner worth as a stepping stone to doing the greater work you have enlisted to do. . . . But ideally, when you have passed all the levels of understanding and you graduate with your degree in self-confidence, it will be because you have come to realize that it required, in fact, none of the claims to fame that you may have thought were so important, that so clearly gave you that stamp of approval. In fact, you are important and valuable without any actions or expressions or accomplishments at all. And to understand that is to have the greatest understanding of all. Your confidence comes because you have a self. Simply that. You are a soul. And so that is the quest for many of you, to come to appreciate that one fact and find the value in just that. This answer continues in Minda’s “Dear Guides” Journal. For full channeling, please join “Dear Guides” by clicking button at right. Leave your comments on the blog. I found that simply reading and contemplating the last paragraph of that channeling increased my self-confidence! This week in the studio I am working on a painting called "Saved by the Flaw." I'm not done with it, but thought I would show you a cropped piece so you could enjoy the textures. The title implies that the thing we most cringe at about ourselves may be the key to our triumph as Soul. Coincidentally, today I got an email from another favorite channeler, Rebecca Marina, called, "Prophetic wisdom from Data Dastagir Badshah." Here is his beautiful message: Most of you precious beloveds have your eyes so intently focused on your perceived 'faults' that you fail to see the brilliance of your light. Often, yes, almost constantly this attention to what you consider 'fault' keeps a multitude of blessings at bay. I say to you, beloved, that we adore every facet of your being. What you consider 'faults' we perceive as "facets" of the jewel that is your heart. So, how can you 'Choose' to receive more blessings? Send love, mercy and blessings to your "faults." Honor them for they are as much a part of your learning and growth as your most 'pious' aspect. With love, Julie Julie Bernstein Engelmann Email: julie@julieengelmann.com P.S. We hope you will post your comments on the blog. P.P.S. You are welcome to share this Beauty & Spirit Note with friends! P.P.P.S. Friends, you can sign up yourself at any of the sites below. Julie's artist site: www.JulieEngelmann.com Minda's channeling site: I Listen to Spirit Frank Butterfield co-produced with Julie: A Communion of Light: Creating Money The Beauty & Spirit email list is housed securely on the email server of my husband Chip Engelmann's site, www.ChipEFT.com, using his autoresponder program. © 2010 Julie Bernstein Engelmann and Minda Bernstein