Episode 18
18 | You Are Made for More: Breaking Through Self-Doubt to Discover Your Purpose
How many times have you caught yourself thinking, "What if I get this wrong?"
We all have internal stories that shape our lives, and today we're diving deep into how those stories can either help us soar or keep us stuck. You know that feeling that you were made for more? Well, you're not alone in that!
I will be sharing why self-doubt often shows up when you begin to sense your God-given purpose—and how to move forward anyway, with truth, faith, and courage.
So grab your notebook, get comfy, and let’s break down those limiting beliefs together—because the only thing stopping you is the story you tell yourself!
I pray that this episode blesses and encourages you!
Michelle
✨ Next Steps:
- Join the Facebook community — Here
- Subscribe to the weekly The Inner Flame — Here
- Take "What is my God-Given purpose: Where to Begin?" quiz — Here
- Book a 1:1 Discernment Coaching Session — Here
✨ Email: hello@michellebrannam.com
✨ Website: https://MichelleBrannam.com
Listen to Related Episode:
12 | When Doubt Creeps In: Staying Rooted in Your Purpose
Scripture Mentioned:
Matthew 6:27
Romans 12:2
Bible Translation Used: All Scripture is quoted from the Revised Standard Version – Second Catholic Edition (RSV-2CE), The Great Adventure Catholic Bible, © Ascension Press. Used with permission.
Transcript
We all live by internal stories.
Speaker A:Most of them are subconscious.
Speaker A:The stories you tell yourself matter.
Speaker A:Your belief system either helps you move forward or convinces you to stay small.
Speaker A:When you say things like I'll never forget my purpose, your mind will build a case for that.
Speaker A:You know that ache in your heart that says I was made for more.
Speaker A:But you don't know what that more is.
Speaker A:Or you're afraid to even say it out loud or even share what's on your heart with others because deep down you're wondering, what if I get this wrong?
Speaker A:If that's you, I want you to know you're not alone.
Speaker A:And it doesn't mean you're off track.
Speaker A:That question often shows up when you're actually getting closer to something holy.
Speaker A:In today's episode, we're talking about why self doubt often shows up when you begin to sense your God given purpose and how to move forward anyway with truth, faith and courage.
Speaker A:Grab your notebook and pen and let's dive in.
Speaker A:Are you ready to break free from feeling stuck, gain clarity, and take intentional steps towards discovering your unique purpose, all while following God's guidance to become the person that he created you to be?
Speaker A:If so, you are in the right place.
Speaker A:Hi, I'm Michelle, a mom, wife, Catholic discernment mentor and spiritual coach.
Speaker A:I've been where you are, feeling lost and uncertain about my purpose.
Speaker A:But through a Catholic based strategy of discernment, I found clarity, confidently embraced my calling and learned to hear God's voice in my life.
Speaker A:And now I want to help you do the same.
Speaker A:Grab your pen, get your notebook and get comfy.
Speaker A:Open your heart and mind and invite God in.
Speaker A:It's time to ignite your purpose and start living the life God created you for.
Speaker A:Let's do this.
Speaker A:When I was working through discovering my purpose, I was pregnant with my daughter at the time.
Speaker A:And I remember feeling this deep ache, this sense that I was meant for more.
Speaker A:I started doing research, trying to find a Catholic approach to discover your your unique purpose.
Speaker A:And I wanted to know what God had uniquely created me for.
Speaker A:Something beyond just what the world says or the world telling you how to determine what your purpose is or what the world tells you, what your purpose is.
Speaker A:After a few months of learning, I started to feel afraid.
Speaker A:I remember thinking, after uncovering all the clues, what if I get this wrong?
Speaker A:And as a perfectionist, that fear hit me hard.
Speaker A:I didn't want to mess this up.
Speaker A:I.
Speaker A:I really wanted to get it right, like perfectly bright.
Speaker A:Because as a perfectionist, it has to be the best.
Speaker A:But it also has to be 100% perfect.
Speaker A:And that's when I realized I couldn't just say stuck in my head.
Speaker A:I needed to be intentional in how I approached my thoughts.
Speaker A:So I leaned into the mindset tools that I had learned earlier, especially in the morning after saying my prayers.
Speaker A:So I reminded myself, this doubt, it's not from God.
Speaker A:It's resistance.
Speaker A:A tactic that the enemy uses to keep me from moving forward.
Speaker A:And if I wanted to discover that purpose that God designed me for, I had to choose truth over fear.
Speaker A:Here's the truth I want to anchor us in today.
Speaker A:Self doubt is a limiting belief rooted in fear and not faith.
Speaker A:And fear often shows up when we say things to ourselves like, I don't want to get it wrong.
Speaker A:And also when we say, what if I get it wrong?
Speaker A:This self doubt is not from God.
Speaker A:It's the voice of fear as we see in God's truth in Matthew 6:27.
Speaker A:As I was reflecting on today's daily readings, this part really stuck out to me.
Speaker A:This part here that said, can any of you by worrying, add a single moment to your lifespan?
Speaker A:And that really just stuck out to me like Jesus, you're right, because that's so true.
Speaker A:Worrying does not add to our life.
Speaker A:Worry is also fear in disguise.
Speaker A:So fear is disappointed resistance trying to keep you stuck.
Speaker A:And Satan, he uses this fear to distract you from your God given purpose.
Speaker A:Here's a spiritual truth God, he's not trying to trick you.
Speaker A:He wants you to discover your purpose.
Speaker A:He placed that desire in your heart.
Speaker A:He created you for a specific mission, a purpose.
Speaker A:I want to dive in a little deeper into these limiting beliefs.
Speaker A:Limiting beliefs, they come from internal programming.
Speaker A:We all live by internal stories.
Speaker A:Most of them are subconscious.
Speaker A:The stories you tell yourself and they matter.
Speaker A:Your belief system either helps you move forward or convinces you to stay small.
Speaker A:So when you say things like, I'll never forget my purpose, your mind, it'll build a case for that.
Speaker A:I have some medical background knowledge and this really pulled out to me.
Speaker A:It's like when you think when you're sick.
Speaker A:This was a case study they had by two groups that were sick.
Speaker A:One was given a sugar pill and one was given the actual medication that would help them.
Speaker A:And the one group would actually with the sugar pill.
Speaker A:A lot of those actually build the case in their mind that this is really working.
Speaker A:They were taking the sugar pill and they thought in their mind that, yep, this is the medicine, oh yeah, I'm feeling better.
Speaker A:But they had no idea that it was not so Basically, they were building up their mind that they're feeling better.
Speaker A:And here's another way to look at that is when you think you're sick like yourself, when you have been sick before and you were given a sugar pill but you didn't know it, you would build up in your mind that you're feeling better.
Speaker A:Or have you thought to yourself, I do not feel so well.
Speaker A:So you start telling yourself that you're getting worse and you're psyching your brain into believing that it actually becomes a reality to you that you actually feel like you're getting more sick when you're really not.
Speaker A:But it was just you're playing the mind games.
Speaker A:So this also ties into what I'm discussing on that if you believe you can discover your purpose, your brain will start finding a path forward.
Speaker A:So here's the truth.
Speaker A:You can reprogram that purpose belief.
Speaker A:And here's a little mindset tool for my little toolbox.
Speaker A:Grab your journal of pen and take some time to reflect on these questions.
Speaker A:Do I believe that I can discover my purpose?
Speaker A:Do I believe I can live out God's plan with clarity and confidence?
Speaker A:And do I believe I was made for something more and that it's not too late for me?
Speaker A:Because you see, when your belief is high, your mind builds a path forward, action follows.
Speaker A:But when your belief is low, it builds a wall of excuses and resistance wins.
Speaker A:And here's the good news for you.
Speaker A:You can rewrite that story and reprogram that belief.
Speaker A:So every day I had to remind myself that doubt isn't from God.
Speaker A:Every morning after prayers, I used a simple mindset routine to help me anchor my day in truth and to intentionally renew my mind.
Speaker A:And I would remind myself, doubt is not from God.
Speaker A:It's the enemy trying to keep me distracted, discouraged, and spiritually paralyzed.
Speaker A:So when you rewrite that lie with truth, the resistance begins to lose its grip.
Speaker A:So you change your current thought of what if I get it wrong?
Speaker A:To God is already leading me and I will just keep moving forward in faith.
Speaker A:And similar, when we say I don't know my purpose, rephrase that to God is kindling the fire within me to reveal what he created me for.
Speaker A:Now let me pause and I want to say this here.
Speaker A:This isn't just a mindset thing.
Speaker A:This is biblical.
Speaker A:We see in Romans 12:2.
Speaker A:It tells us to be transformed by the renewal of your mind so that we can discern what is good, pleasing and perfect God's will for our lives.
Speaker A:That means renewing your thoughts.
Speaker A:It isn't self help.
Speaker A:It's part of a spiritual transformation.
Speaker A:And remember, self doubt is a limiting belief that we can identify, reprogram, and replace with God's truth.
Speaker A:And that's where the breakthrough begins.
Speaker A:So let's take a moment to reflect on what we covered today.
Speaker A:So number one is self doubt.
Speaker A:It's not your identity, it's a belief that you can change and you can identify that belief, reprogram it, and you can replace it with God's truth.
Speaker A:Number three, you were made for more.
Speaker A:And you don't have to wait until you feel ready.
Speaker A:God is already at work inside you.
Speaker A:That desire in your heart, it's not random.
Speaker A:It's God planning a purpose within you.
Speaker A:Your role is to believe that, show up and keep moving forward one moment at a time.
Speaker A:You've got this.
Speaker A:And I know you do because I just got goosebumps again up and down my legs.
Speaker A:And the Holy Spirit is, tell me you've got this.
Speaker A:We've got this.
Speaker A:We're gonna help you.
Speaker A:So let's take some time to say a prayer.
Speaker A:Let us pray.
Speaker A:In the name of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit.
Speaker A:Amen.
Speaker A:Heavenly Father, thank you for placing the desire for more within my heart.
Speaker A:A desire to know you more deeply and to live out that purpose you've created me for.
Speaker A:I bring you every doubt, every fear, every lie I believed about myself or about your will for my life.
Speaker A:Help me to see them for what they are.
Speaker A:Not your voice, but resistance that's trying to keep me stuck.
Speaker A:Renew my mind, Lord.
Speaker A:Renew the story I've been telling myself and replace it with your truth.
Speaker A:Speak clearly to my heart.
Speaker A:Remind me of who I am in you, and strengthen me to walk forward in faith even when I don't have all the answers.
Speaker A:I trust that you are guiding me step by step.
Speaker A:And I believe that I was made for more.
Speaker A:In Jesus name, Amen.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker A:Knowledge is power.
Speaker A:But that true change happens when we pair it with consistent daily action.
Speaker A:We cannot gain that clarity if we're not taking daily action to help us move forward.
Speaker A:And you can start today by reflecting in your journal.
Speaker A:What story am I telling myself and is it in line with God's truth?
Speaker A:Then come share inside the Facebook community.
Speaker A:Finding youg Purpose, Discernment and Strategy for Catholic Moms.
Speaker A:And share the limiting belief of the internal story you are telling yourself and then the truth you're choosing to believe instead.
Speaker A:This space is for real conversations and the Holy Spirit breakthroughs.
Speaker A:You're not alone.
Speaker A:Let's speak life over each other.
Speaker A:And walk this out in faith together.
Speaker A:And remember my beautiful sister Christmas, that God uniquely created you for a unique purpose.
Speaker A:You were made to do great things.
Speaker A:God is within you and you will not fail.
Speaker A:Go out and ignite your purpose.
Speaker A:God's not done writing your story.
Speaker A:I look forward to continuing this journey with you.
Speaker A:I'll meet you next Tuesday for another conversation.
Speaker A:Until then, may God bless you.
Speaker A:Thank you so much for joining me today.
Speaker A:I pray that today's episode blesses and encourages you.
Speaker A:If so, would you please share it with someone you know that would be blessed by it.
Speaker A:If you felt inspired or you learned something Today, please take 30 seconds to leave a written review on Apple Podcasts.
Speaker A:This is the number one way to let me know that you are liking the show and for me to reach other Catholic women like yourself.
Speaker A:If you're feeling uncertain or you're lost on your discernment journey, you're not alone.
Speaker A:Join us over in the free Facebook community Finding youg Purpose, Discernment and Strategy for Catholic Moms, where Catholic women just like you are sharing, supporting and growing together in faith.
Speaker A:I look forward to to continuing this journey with you.
Speaker A:I'll meet you next Tuesday for another conversation.
Speaker A:God bless you.
