By Bethany Theulen

This past winter brought one of the most stressful experiences of my entire life. Honestly, it might have been the most stressful. I’ve faced heartache, loss, setbacks, and financial strain before—but nothing compared to this. In the thick of it, I had a choice to make: would I apply my Rare Faith training and lean on the principles of mindset, or would I slip back into old thought patterns and stay stuck in victimhood?

The truth is, the situation I found myself in was the result of both my own poor judgment calls and other people choosing to act out of greed, vengeance, and dishonesty. God’s hand was clearly in it too—bringing powerful lessons—but when it came down to it, no one else could choose how I would respond. Trying to make sense of how I got there didn’t matter anymore. That line of thinking wasn’t going to help me move forward.

Those months were full of terror barriers—some were about taking next steps that felt completely irrational, even though I knew deep down they were right. But the biggest terror barrier I faced wasn’t about action. It was about belief. Could I really believe I was enough?

Enough to keep relying on faith so fully that God would know He could count on me?

Enough to care for my children when every outer circumstance said I couldn’t?

Enough to my Heavenly Father?

Enough to myself?

At 45 years old, I realized I had never truly believed that I was enough. Sure, my parents said it. My friends said it. Church leaders taught it. But I had never felt it—not really. A lifetime of feeling inadequate brings a lot of darkness with it. And during this time, I came to understand that if I wanted different results on the outside, I had to start by changing what I believed on the inside.

So I went all in. I studied the laws and principles governing thought. I journaled. I prayed. I cried—often. I forced myself to receive support from others, even though it made me uncomfortable. I leaned hard into meditation and affirmations, while drawing on every spiritual tool I had.

And then, it happened.

The darkness lifted.

I realized—I was enough. I could finally say it without choking. I believed it. And the light and peace I felt were the clearest, most personal experience I’d ever had of the Law of Polarity. As Leslie teaches, everything has an equal and opposite counterpart. And I saw that this law doesn’t just apply to circumstances—it applies to feelings, too.

Yes, the situation I was in eventually resolved—but only temporarily. More challenges came later, ones that were even harder. But somehow, the stress during those heavier moments didn’t feel as heavy. Why? Because I had experienced the full spectrum—extreme darkness, depression, anxiety—and then swung to an intensity of light, love, and hope that I had never felt before. That shift equipped me with the mental tools I needed to face what came next.

Life still isn’t simple. It’s not easy. The burden of raising multiple children with mental illnesses hasn’t gone away. But the light I can feel now is directly proportional to the darkness I used to carry.

And it has been worth every ounce of effort. Every single terror barrier I had to break through to get here.

_________________

•   To discover how to start choosing more effectively now, read The Jackrabbit Factor (FREE!)  
•   If you want more step-by-step guidance on creating the life you really want, join me in the Mindset Mastery program.
•   If you want my help overcoming that giant obstacle right in front of you, learn more and sign up for Genius Bootcamp.