Learning To Trust I: Soft Thoughts on Choice, Fear & Becoming...

“I’m not late to life — I’m arriving slowly.”

“The new year didn’t ask me to become someone new; it asked me to listen more closely to who I already am.”

Hey Sunny, 💛

Happy new year, my sunnies ☀️🤍

It’s been a little minute since you last saw me here, and if you’re wondering where I disappeared to, I explained everything in a newsletter I sent to my subscribers. (If you’re not subscribed yet… this is your gentle nudge. I’ll be sending more little letters as exclusive content just for our community.)

But today, I want to talk about something that’s been sitting heavily and honestly, tenderly on my heart.

Trusting myself.

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Why Trusting Yourself Feels So Hard...

“When the world hands you a script, choosing a different story can feel like rebellion.”

Recently, I came across a creator on Instagram talking about how difficult it’s been for her to trust herself. Every word she said felt like it was plucked straight from my own thoughts. Because if I’m being honest? I also struggle deeply with trusting myself.

Somewhere along the way, many of us were taught that life follows a very specific system. A script. A timeline. And if you dare to imagine something different, if your dreams don’t neatly fit into that system, it suddenly feels like you are the problem.

When you tell people you want to take a different direction, the response is often, “That’s not how it’s supposed to be done.” And slowly, quietly, that discouragement sinks in. You start doubting your instincts. You start questioning your desires. You start wondering if maybe you’re wrong for wanting something else.

The Internet, Opinions & The Loss of Individuality...

“Not every opinion deserves a permanent place in your mind.”

Another thing that’s deeply affected my ability to trust myself is the internet. We live in a time where there are so many opinions, loud ones, confident ones, contradictory ones, all fighting for our attention.

Sometimes I genuinely don’t know what to listen to and what to ignore. One person says do this. Another says never do that. Someone failed and warned everyone else not to try. And suddenly, your own voice becomes the quietest one in the room.

With all this noise, I think we’ve slowly lost the art of individuality. We’re constantly consuming other people’s experiences before we’ve even had the chance to experience life for ourselves. (I’ll definitely talk more about this in a future blog.)

That being said, I don’t think advice is a bad thing. I actually love learning from other people. Their mistakes, their lessons, their wisdom, all of it can be incredibly valuable.

The key, though, is discernment.

Learning Discernment (Instead of Blindly Absorbing Everything) ...

“Discernment is how self-trust begins to stretch its legs.”

I’m slowly learning that trusting myself doesn’t mean rejecting advice, it means choosing what aligns with me and releasing what doesn’t.

It means asking myself:

• Does this resonate with my values?

• Does this feel grounded in fear or in wisdom?

• Am I taking this advice because it feels right or because I’m scared to choose alone?

Self-trust grows when we give ourselves permission to filter information instead of absorbing it all. When we allow ourselves to unlearn things that no longer serve us. When we stop assuming that someone else knows our life better than we do.

Limiting Noise to Hear Yourself Again...

“Trying and changing your mind is not failure — it’s intelligence.”

One of my intentions this year is to limit my time on social media, not because it’s evil, but because I want space to hear myself think.

I want to get to know who I am without constant comparison. To make decisions without immediately running to the internet to check if someone else failed at the same thing. To try without pre-defeating myself.

And here’s the thing I keep reminding myself: If something doesn’t work out… we simply pivot.

That’s it.

There is no universal punishment for trying. No cosmic rulebook that says you only get one chance. Life doesn’t end when a plan fails, it simply redirects.

How I’m Learning to Trust Myself (Gently)...

“Confidence isn’t knowing everything — it’s trusting yourself to figure things out.”

I’m realizing that self-trust isn’t something you wake up with one day. It’s built quietly, through small moments:

🌸 Making a decision and standing by it — even when it scares me.

🌸Allowing myself to be wrong without shame.

🌸Choosing curiosity over self-criticism.

🌸Letting failure be information, not a verdict.

The more I show up for myself, the more my confidence grows. Not because I suddenly have all the answers, but because I trust myself to handle whatever comes next.

This is the biggest lesson I’m carrying into this year:

Life has no fixed rules.

There is no one-size-fits-all path. No universal timeline. No correct way to exist.

You are allowed to try something new. You are allowed to change directions. You are allowed to outgrow old versions of yourself.

And trusting yourself means believing that whatever happens, you’ll meet yourself with grace.

To My Sunnies ☀️...

“If you’re figuring it out too, you belong here.”

If you’re someone who struggles to trust yourself, I want you to know this, you’re not broken. You’re not weak. You’re just living in a world that’s very loud.

Take your time. Move gently. You don’t need to have everything figured out this year. You don’t need to make perfect decisions. You just need to keep choosing yourself, even in small ways.

I’m so grateful for this little community. For everyone who reads, listens, subscribes, and chooses softness alongside me. You remind me that I’m not navigating these thoughts alone.

If this blog resonated with you, don’t forget to subscribe for exclusive newsletters, follow me on Instagram @_.selfcare_diary, and listen to my podcast Navigating Life Diaries, where I unpack these thoughts even more honestly.

Here’s to a year of trusting ourselves one brave, imperfect decision at a time.

With so much love, Margie💕