No matter how hard or confusing the situations in life become there is one person you have to believe in. That person is not a family member, or lover. The person you have to be able to trust and believe in is you. This fact is something no one else can install in you. You have to believe the person in the mirror can get you through anything.
In these laughable times many people go to anything else but themselves for confidence. You can tell this fact by the popularity of social media platforms. In 2026 you have people basing their confidence on information/advice they get from strangers on Instagram. The number of views and likes of a post, or picture, can send a person to mental heaven or purgatory in a matter of seconds. People have to take back the power over their life. The first step is to believe in yourself.
People all over the world spend untold amounts of money to have someone tell them about themselves. Professionals in the mental health field are being swamped with the number of insecure people in the world. This is not to say that mental health professionals are not needed. What is being said is, “If you can’t see any worth in the person you are and believe in yourself, no amount of therapy can help you.” You have to have some mental groundwork for the treatment to take root in. Believing in yourself can greatly assist in the use of any information a mental health professional offers.
The number of people who rush into romantic relationships seeking someone to make them whole/confident is staggering. No spouse in the world can give you the confidence to believe in yourself. A positive spouse can boost your belief in yourself to higher levels. The previous should be a two way road where you boost your spouses confidence/belief in themselves to higher levels too. This is how you create power couples that seem to enjoy their relationships and life together, while other flounder in misery. Two people who believe in themselves combined to form a power unit that is unstoppable. This can’t happen if one person is full of self doubt and uncertainty. The person who is uncertain will be a drain on the one who does believe in themselves. Disaster in the form of divorce, or domestic violence, is often the result.
Relying on another person for anything for too long gives the person power over you. This is one way manipulative people get their hooks into people who do not believe in themselves. It’s really an old form of “game.” A manipulator gets an unconfident person to believe that they have their best interest in mind. The person who doesn’t believe in themselves find themselves hinging on the words of the manipulator. This can lead to a plethora of consequences ranging from mental abuse to sexual exploitation. The previous scenarios can be avoided by simply believing in yourself. Keeping the power of your life in your hands.
The concept of believing in yourself is so simple it is complex. Many people get exploited because they only put value in complex answers, or solutions. Simplicity is the basis of all profound results. Think: 1+1 is the start of basic addition. Without this basis would Calculus be possible?
Frank James IV © 2026
beingfrankwithfrank@gmail.com
The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the writer and not of the Milwaukee Times Weekly Newspaper or HT Group, LLC, its staff or management. “Being Frank” is a bi-weekly column exclusive to the Milwaukee Times Weekly Newspaper.
