Permission to Feel Confident (Even When Life Feels Hard as a Mom)

Surprising Building Block of Confidence

After two years of depression, I didn’t think I would ever feel joy again.

A Light Cracked into the Darkness

Today, I want to share the simple phrase that cracked open a tiny light inside me during one of the darkest chapters of my life.

The Years I Couldn’t Feel Anything

I was in college in Utah, deep in a fog of depression that had lasted for more than two years. My faith felt completely gone. I hadn’t felt any spiritual connection in what felt like forever. My confidence was shattered. My hope was… dead. That’s really the only way I can describe it.

Then one evening, I attended a fireside with some friends. It was led by Elder John H. Groberg—a man from my faith whose life story was even portrayed in the movie The Other Side of Heaven. I don’t remember who I went with or much about the night itself. But I remember what he said. And it changed everything.

The Sentence That Lit a Candle Inside Me

Elder Groberg said:

“Develop the kind of confidence that comes from knowing you are trying.”

In that moment, something pierced my soul, and I remember thinking:

"If anyone is trying, it's me!"

If there was an award for effort, I felt like I had earned it. I was trying to be a good person. I was trying to feel joy. I was trying to get out of the pain and darkness that I had been stuck in for years. I was doing everything I knew how to do.

And for the first time in a long time, I felt a tiny flicker of confidence—not from succeeding, not from fixing everything—but simply because I was trying.

That Flicker Turned Into a Flame

It wasn’t an instant turnaround. Healing still took months. But that one thought changed the trajectory of my life. It reversed the downward spiral I had been caught in. Slowly, things began to shift.

I started to feel again.

I started to hope again.

Eventually, I began to experience little specks of joy.

And those specks grew—just like a snowball rolling down a hill—until they became something stronger and steadier. I felt confidence again. I felt capable. I felt happy. I felt beautiful.

But most of all, I felt rooted. This time, the joy and confidence I was experiencing weren’t based on outcomes or achievements. They were grounded in something deeper—my own effort, my own trying, and my own willingness to believe that was enough.

Finding Confidence During Hard Seasons of Life

If you’re a mom right now who feels overwhelmed, inadequate, or like you’re failing every single day—I want you to hear this:

You can feel confident today. Right now. Just because you’re trying.

Not because your house is clean.

Not because your kids ate vegetables.

Not because you nailed the Pinterest-worthy snack.

But because you’re doing your best with the energy and awareness you have.

And I know you are trying.

So give yourself permission—real, deep, lasting permission—to feel confident in that. You deserve it.

From My Heart to Yours

If this resonated with you, I’d love to hear from you in the comments. How are you trying today? What would it feel like to let that be enough?

And if you know another mom who needs to hear this, please share this post with her. You never know what small phrase might light a candle in someone else’s darkness.

If you’re ready for more encouragement, tools, and soul-nourishing support, visit me at http://momssimplythriving.com for more resources to help you thrive—daily.