Embracing Goodness in Ourselves and Others

This post was written by Terri Werner, a Newfield graduate of the Coaching for Personal & Professional Mastery program.

Is everyone born with a ‘core self’ that is fundamentally good, wise, strong, creative, and whole? I believe so.

Do you? If so, what led you to that belief?

Often, the beliefs we hold of ourselves and others emerge from childhood experiences. Left unchecked those beliefs often continue throughout our lifetime.

Having worked for many years with men in a medium-security prison, it was a common occurrence to learn they frequently came from a background of abuse and neglect, receiving messages such as “You’re no good,” or “You’ll never amount to anything.” Many of us received or have told ourselves similar messages. If we then go on to believe them as “The TRUTH,” whether conscious or unconscious, it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy, limiting our life choices and possibilities.

But, what happens when we become rooted in the belief that our core self is deeply good, wise, strong, creative, and whole? One possibility is we may begin to free ourselves from restrictive past messaging still affecting our lives today. We may begin to see opportunities that we did not see before.

Re-exploring past experiences that led to self-defeating patterns, changing those ingrained habits, taking responsibility for our behavior and results so we can build a good life all take courage, intention, and belief in our ability to change. An inmate once told me, “Terri, this is hard work, and many days I don’t want to do it. But because you believe that I can do it, I start to believe it too.”

I believe one of the greatest gifts a human being can be given is to be treated with dignity, to have their capabilities seen and believed in, and to be acknowledged for their innate goodness. When we give this gift to ourselves or to others, miracles can occur.