Why being your own Cheerleader is the biggest flex you can have (especially when life starts testing you)

Life doesn’t test the people who are comfortable. It tests the ones who are growing. And the moment things get uncomfortable, uncertain, or heavy, most people do the same thing: They shrink back into what feels safe. Old habits. Old identities. Old stories. But growth never happens in comfort. It happens when life asks: “Do you trust yourself enough to rise?”

There are seasons in life where everything feels aligned. You’re motivated. Supported. Seen. Confidence comes easily then. But that’s not the season that changes you. The season that actually changes you is the quiet one. The one where no one is watching closely. Where progress feels slow. Where doubt speaks louder than praise. And in those moments, life asks a different kind of question. Not “Why is this happening to me?”

But:
Will you still show up when no one is cheering?
Will you stay loyal to yourself when it would be easier to stop?
Will you encourage yourself when reassurance doesn’t come from the outside?

That’s the real work. And that’s where self-trust is built.

The moments no one talks about

There were times in my own life where everything looked “fine” from the outside, but internally, I knew I was negotiating with fear.

Saying things like:
“I’ll start when I feel more confident.”
“I just need a bit more clarity.”
“Now isn’t the right time.”

But the truth was simpler and harder to admit: I was waiting for permission to believe in myself. And every time I postponed my own growth, something inside me felt heavier. Not dramatic, just quietly disappointed. Because deep down, we always know when we’re playing small.

The comfort zone is quiet, but it’s expensive

The comfort zone doesn’t shout at you to stay. It whispers. It tells you you’re being “realistic.” It tells you you’re being “patient.” It tells you you’re being “responsible.” And sometimes, that’s true. But other times, comfort is just fear wearing a softer voice. It costs you your confidence, because confidence is built through action. It costs you your potential, because potential needs movement. And it costs you your self-respect, because you can’t unknow what you’re capable of. Nothing drains you faster than abandoning the version of you that wants more. Not more perfection but more honesty, more alignment, more truth.

This is where being your own cheerleader changes everything

Being your own cheerleader, I don’t mean being a hype. It doesn’t mean forcing positivity or pretending things don’t hurt. It means learning how to support yourself through the discomfort instead of abandoning yourself inside it. Self-cheerleading is choosing courage when comfort feels tempting.
It’s backing yourself when certainty is missing. It’s replacing the inner critic with a steadier voice, one that says: I’m with you.

It sounds like:
“This is hard, and I trust myself to figure it out.”
“I don’t need to have it all together to keep going.”
“I can be scared and still move forward.”

And when life tests you.. because it always will, that inner voice becomes your stable anchor.

How to practice being your own cheerleader (especially when it’s hard)

This isn’t about doing more. It’s about relating to yourself differently. Stop asking for permission to believe in yourself. Celebrate effort, especially when results take time. Speak to yourself the way you would to someone you deeply love. When things don’t go as planned, stay curious instead of critical. Growth doesn’t require perfection. It requires presence. And the willingness to stay committed to yourself, even on days when confidence feels far away.

When life tests you, don’t run back to comfort. Run toward self-trust. Be your own cheerleader when no one is watching. Because the person who believes in themselves, even in the quiet, uncomfortable seasons, is the person who always rises. And that…is the biggest flex there is.

If you’re reading this and recognizing yourself. If you know you’re capable of more, but keep holding back out of doubt, fear, or old patterns. This is exactly the work I do in my 1:1 coaching.

Together, we work on:

• Building real self-trust (not surface confidence)

• Breaking patterns that keep you small

• Creating aligned routines around health, mindset, and identity

• Learning how to support yourself through change instead of self-sabotaging

Please write down your details below, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. No pressure. Just a conversation to see if we’re aligned.

With love,
Louisa