Swami Vivekananda advices us to first develop faith in ourselves and later in God. But in practical life how can we develop faith in ourselves? It can come not by just reading books, but by putting in to practicing what is being read.

As said by Swami Vivekananda, “You cannot hope to make a man a surgeon by simply giving him a few books. You cannot satisfy my curiosity to see a country by showing me a map; I must have actual experience. Maps can only create curiosity in us to get more perfect knowledge. Beyond that, they have no value whatever.”

When we infinite power in us, what stops us from using it for our benefit and that of society? Developing faith in oneself is nothing but identifying our hidden potential and put them to use in action. What prevents us from using the infinite energies within us? Swami vivekananda draws our attention saying “We constantly complain that we have no control over our actions, over our thoughts, But how can we have it?

If we can get control over the fine movements, if we can get hold of thoughts at the root, before it has become thought, before it has become action, then it would be possible for us to control the whole. Now, if there is a method by which we can analyze, investigate, understand and finally grapple with those finer powers, the finer causes, then alone is it possible to have control over ourselves, and the man who has control over his own mind assuredly will have control over every other mind.”

To move forward on the journey of developing faith in ourselves, we need to have an in-depth understanding of our thought-process. This helps us to put our potential to practical use.