The Only Person You Need to Trust to Create the Future You Desire… Is Yourself

noel3378
Oct 2, 2025
3 min read

Have You Ever Felt Like You Were Doing Everything Right, but Still Waiting for Someone Else to Recognize You?

That was me.

I walked into my annual performance review, confident I had earned a promotion. I had delivered results, checked every box, and done everything that was expected of me.

But when the decision came… I was passed over.

At that moment, disappointment hit me hard. But what hurt even more was the realization that I had spent years waiting—waiting for someone to acknowledge my potential, to pull me up, to tell me I was ready. I had been waiting for permission to step into the next level of my career, instead of claiming it for myself.

I wasn’t lacking in performance. I was lacking in ownership of my own power. For so long, I had been looking outward, seeking validation—when the truth was, the only approval I ever needed was my own. Now, don’t get me wrong—recognition and mentorship matter. Having great leaders who see and invest in us is valuable. But here’s what I’ve learned:

Your success should never depend on waiting for someone else to notice you.

The moment I stopped waiting for others to open doors for me, I realized they had been open all along—I just hadn’t stepped through them. Suddenly, I saw what had always been there:

New opportunities
New resources
New gifts and talents
New support systems

The world hadn’t been holding me back. I had been holding myself back.

Where Are You Focusing? Byron Katie’s 3 Types of Business

Byron Katie teaches that everything in life falls into three categories:

My Business – what you can control: your thoughts, actions, choices
Your Business – what others think, say, or do
God’s Business – external events like weather, economy, or world affairs

For years, I was trapped in other people’s business:

“Why didn’t they recognize my contributions?”

“Why didn’t they see my potential?”

“Why was I passed over?”

The more time you spend in someone else’s business, the less you spend managing your own.

Stop trying to manage other people’s reactions and circumstances. Start managing yourself.

Why Most People Don’t Trust Themselves (and How to Change That)

Why do we hesitate to trust ourselves?

Fear of making the wrong choice
Fear of failure
Fear of judgment

But when has waiting for certainty ever made you more successful?

Harv Eker reminds us: highly successful people act before they feel ready. They don’t wait for perfect timing. They understand that clarity comes from action, not the other way around.

The difference between people who create their dream future and those who don’t isn’t intelligence or talent.

It’s self-trust.

How to Strengthen Your Self-Trust and Take Back Control

Stop outsourcing your decisions. Every time you look to others for validation, you weaken your ability to trust yourself.
Question your limiting beliefs. Ask: Is this true? Challenge “I’m not ready” or “I’ll fail.”
Act before you’re ready. Movement creates momentum. Don’t wait for confidence—build it through action.
Reframe failure as learning. Every setback is a stepping stone. The only real failure is not trying at all.