Today, more than ever, we need to believe in ourselves. For thousands of years, people have been told that they can’t achieve their dreams that they can’t do the things they want to do or live the way they want to live. Yet these are some of the same people who end up defining history and changing the world in ways they never could have imagined when they were young, simply because they believed in themselves and kept moving forward despite everyone telling them that their dreams were unrealistic or impossible to achieve.
Begin every day with the mindset that you can accomplish anything, and you’ll find that you have the confidence to do it. On the flip side, if you don’t believe in yourself, your lack of self-confidence will lead to avoiding difficult tasks and ultimately stunt your growth and development as an individual. This chapter explores why believing in yourself is so important, and how to start believing in yourself today
If you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will
As hard as it is to believe, there’s a ton of negativity out there. Whether you feel like your co-workers are judging you or that your family is undermining your decisions, there are a million and one ways for you to doubt yourself. The only way to be successful? Stop listening to naysayers and start believing in yourself.
At least once a day—maybe when you wake up or before you go to bed—tell yourself something positive about who you are. Write it down on paper so that every time you see it, it reminds you of how awesome you are. You can do anything if you believe in yourself! (This also works with self-esteem; if you think highly of yourself, others will too.)
Believe in your ability to succeed
You’re reading this guide because you want to succeed and improve. And that’s a great place to start! This eBook is full of knowledge, but you can’t learn everything at once, so take your time and make sure you believe in yourself. It might be helpful to visualize how your goals will affect your life. Try answering questions like:
- How will you feel after achieving your goal?
- What would that day look like?
- In what ways would it be different from today?
Visualizing success helps keep it within reach; just remember to focus on how achieving a goal will make your life better.
The more you think about your ability to achieve your goals, the more likely they are to happen. Remember that even if you don’t know where or how you’ll get there, as long as you have confidence in yourself and continue taking steps toward making them happen, things will work out for you. If they don’t work out exactly as planned or expected, that doesn’t mean they won’t work out at all – it means something else good may come along instead!
The I can do it! Mentality
Believing that you can achieve a certain goal or improve yourself is a powerful thing. If you believe you can’t, then chances are you won’t take any serious steps to make it happen. Instead, it’s important to think positively and let your beliefs drive you forward. Believe that anything is possible, just not impossible!
Go out there and give it everything you have! With enough hard work and determination, you will reach your goals one day at a time. You might not see results right away but don’t lose hope. Keep pushing forward and remember that believing in yourself is half of what makes success so sweet! It may be cliché, but clichés exist for a reason—because they work!
If you truly want something, never stop fighting for it. When times get tough and people start doubting you, keep on pushing through no matter how hard things get. It’s only when we push ourselves to our limits that we grow as individuals and learn about ourselves along the way.
Trust the process
If you’re like most people, you don’t have a formal business plan or strategy. You probably have some idea of what you want to accomplish, but if your goal is to create something special or earn more money or be your own boss, chances are you’re not sure how to get there. If that sounds like you, I have some good news: all successful businesses start without plans.
Sure they have goals and dreams and direction; they just don’t necessarily know how they are going to get there. Over time, as long as they take consistent steps forward and keep pushing themselves—no matter what—they usually end up in a good place.
To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with having a plan (in fact it can help), but you should focus on taking action rather than worrying about how things will play out. Trust yourself to figure it out along the way and trust that your work will speak for itself. The reality is most ideas look nothing like their final product.
Don’t worry about whether or not you’re getting it right from day one; instead, focus on making progress toward where you want to go every single day. Do so consistently over time and amazing things happen—and by amazing I mean profitable! If at any point you feel stuck along the way, try this one thing: Ask yourself what specific action step(s) could move you closer to where you want to go? Then take those small daily steps. It`s all about taking action.
To be successful, you must be selfish
One of my favorite lines from Vince Lombardi: “Individual commitment to a group effort — that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.” To be successful in anything, you must be selfish about your growth and development. This does not mean being self-centered or lacking consideration for others. Rather, it means accepting your role as responsible for your development and applying your full energy toward realizing your potential—in other words, being selfish about yourself.
In short, we must maximize our own human capital because it’s simply how human beings are wired. There’s even some scientific evidence that when we give 100 percent of ourselves to something, we experience a greater sense of happiness than if we split our efforts between several pursuits.
Discipline leads to freedom
What do you want to do with your life? Every day, you have a choice: You can find something to feel bad about or find something to feel good about. And no matter what happens, those feelings will impact how you perform. So think of discipline as a skill that allows you to focus on what matters most and behave accordingly.
The more you practice discipline, the easier it becomes—and freedom is just around the corner. Discipline helps you focus on your long-term goals and stay focused when things get tough. This sense of purpose helps keep you motivated through adversity and distractions so that you’re always moving forward.
