Determination is not always there. And when most of us hear the word “Faith” is almost instantaneous: we think about religion.
But not everybody believes in religions, regardless of what beliefs one can have about the thing that put this whole thing (life, the world the universe) together. Some have science as their God. Some have a God, others don’t.
So what is faith? Faith is belief. And regardless of whether we have a religion or not: we have to believe in something.
Whatever we believe in: is our faith.
When we are babies: we’re in a blank slate.
Our carers/parents: they feed us, dress us, and… they believe for us. As newborns: we are egocentric beings with no beliefs.
But as we develop: comes a conscience of being, and comes learning, comes in all the “social programming input”. At some point, we grow and define our own beliefs.
Our own personal system of beliefs: represents our faith.
In us, in the world. Faith is what we believe in.
Determination
Some of us are more determined than others. At some points in life, we are more determined than at other times.
Determination comes with wanting something. Is the quality of having the firmness of purpose, a “Why”, a reason to live.
And we do what needs to be done, having our values as boundaries, to fulfill that purpose: success in whatever we want becomes inevitable.
And we do what needs to be done, having our values as boundaries, to fulfill that purpose: success in whatever we want becomes inevitable.
Let us reinforce that “doing what needs to be done” is not the same as “doing whatever it takes”. The difference between both is that in the first, your core values guide you, in the second, well…
But anyone faces setbacks.
And when the setbacks come: our determination is tested.
And if determination fails – we all have our own personal inner wars to fight against. Sometimes we question ourselves, sometimes we second-guess ourselves, and sometimes we lack strength.
What can help us keep on track? What makes us wake up for the day, the day determination fails?
We can say Faith.
Un unquestionable belief in you.
If determination fails you have to back yourself up on your faith in yourself.
Faith (When You Have No Religion): What do you need that for?
One needs faith (in oneself) to back you up with when there’s no one around to cheer you up.
Without any type of judgment here, suicidal people - attempters or succeeded, are people who lost faith. Temporarily or definitely. Or just appearing to be alive.
They are people who lost faith in themselves.
Losing faith (in whatever a person believes) is equivalent to death.
The person has then to make choices.
Choosing to live and rebirth.
Or choosing to die. Sometimes that is not literally but means becoming a walking dead: soulless, hopeless, and bitter people who can’t find real joy in anything that symbolizes LIFE: light is annoying, and the joy of others is annoying.
When the darkness is so thick, wet and cold…
… a person can't see or imagine the next minute, the next hour, the next day, that things could change.
One looses faith, and stop believing. Mainly in ourselves, in the ability to change the outcome of whatever situation they were facing.
And times come when we eventually face the reality that we cannot change whatever is external to us: people, places, and things.
If you can not change the environment around you: you’re being called to change yourself
And let us be clear here: “being called to change yourself” does not mean you have to become what you don’t like just to “fit in”. At all.
It doesn’t mean you have to run away either.
Because if you just run, without learning whatever you need to learn about yourself or the situation that’s disturbing you, or is not supportive, without facing yourself first: you are just changing geographic locations, you're making cosmetic changes.
You are just changing locations, without making the necessary upgrade on yourself.
And that will lead you to make new decisions, that will put you side with the same kind of people that you once met (just different actors).
It will lead you to put yourself in situations you’ve been before and ran from. A mess.
So, you have to learn some lessons when going through hardships.
Those times, when you can not change the environment around you, you're being called to change yourself.
Change your perspective of things: remove yourself from that context and see from a distance. Including your role in it: that’s when you are learning about yourself.
And only then: make the improvement that needs to be done, to make sure you are really making a sustainable change.
Cultivate self-belief: Have faith in yourself
Suicidal people are in a very dark mental place. Might be punctual moments, might be recurrent moments, might be just a thought, one single act of despair: they decide to remove themselves from life.
But when starting to cultivate self-belief: you hang on to that faith in yourself. And start changing from within.
And that's a sustainable change.
And sometimes this also means that you have to remove yourself from certain people, places, and things.
Because those are not environments that support you.
And this “removal” is not a runaway: is a conscious decision based on personal purposes.
Those people, places, and things: don’t nurture emotionally nor support your personal purposes.
But the change has to come from within: and you hang to the faith in yourself, that you got this, that you can handle anything that comes your way.
And the days you’re tired, feel beaten up by life: you get up, dust yourself, and keep on walking, Supported by that faith in you...
And the next day comes, and if the determination is back: then you have both determination and faith to help you through your journey.
Getting Better Every Day
Hugs filled with faith
From Body&Soul!
Hey! I'm Eunice Veloso and you'll find more about me on my About Page
"In nature, nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed"
Antoine Lavoisier, 1789
The Law of the Conservation of Mass
