Believing in yourself is a critical step on the path to success.
Sometimes the difference in whether you succeed or whether you do not, comes down to one simple thing, believing in yourself. Have you ever thought about how much of a difference believing in yourself makes to your quality of life? Think about it for a minute. If you do not really believe that you can do something, you are not going to give your full effort and, without your full effort, your chances of successfully achieving your goal are greatly reduced. Also, if your goal requires help from others, you then need them to believe in you. If you do not believe in yourself; why would they believe in you. Every successful goal that you ever achieve will have one common thing, that you believe in yourself.
Why believing in yourself is so important
A strong belief in yourself can bring you all these benefits and more:
- You recognise your ability to accomplish goals.
- You are optimistic about the future as you set goals and achieve them.
- Deep down inside, you know you can do anything.
- You treat yourself kindly.
- You feel uplifted and more satisfied with life.
- You are motivated to get things done.
- You have faith, no matter what.
- You see and enjoy the abundance around you.
- Others feel attracted to you.
Would you love to enjoy these qualities of confidence and well-being on a daily basis? The good news is you can! There are actions you can take to fortify your belief in yourself.
Believing in yourself made easy
Whether you feel lacking in this area or just want to strengthen your belief for the extra benefits, try these ideas to further develop your self-belief:.
Have confidence in your own abilities to get something done
Be your own best cheerleader and encourage yourself to get your tasks done. Learn to break down your challenges into small steps until you know that you can do it.
I learned this tactic when my business was struggling. I knew what I wanted to achieve in the long run but I lacked confidence in my ability to make it happen. So, instead of being overwhelmed by the big picture, I got into the habit of setting 90 day plans to bring myself closer to achieving the big goal. I would then break the 90 day plan down into monthly targets and finally, daily actions. I could then focus on the daily actions which I had enough confidence to pursue.
Believing in yourself can be difficult when you are facing a big and daunting goal but when you break it down into bitesize actions, it becomes so much easier.
Create dreams
Whether it is getting the career you want, obtaining more training, meeting someone you admire, traveling to a faraway place, setting a goal to save a million dollars, or connect with your dreams.
We often get put off from pursuing our dreams because we do not believe in our ability to make them happen. What we forget is that it takes time to achieve a big goal/dream. In the time it takes to achieve that goal/dream, you also have the time to acquire the knowledge, skills and attitudes required to achieve it. Do not base your beliefs in tomorrow’s success on the abilities you possess today. Believe in your ability to learn and grow.
Establish goals and go for the gold
Believing in yourself means you are motivated to get things done. Get into the habit of setting goals (both short-term and long-term). Then, you can take active steps to achieve them. With every goal that you achieve, no matter how small, your confidence will increase. Believing in yourself is not some miracle of fate; it comes from creating a track record of achievement. That track record starts with setting goals.
Treat Yourself Well
Treating yourself with a nurturing nature and the understanding that you are a deserving human being is an important aspect of developing belief in yourself.
As you begin to see yourself as worthy of being treated with respect, others begin to get that message too. For those who do not get that message, will come to the realisation that they should have no place in your life.
Treat yourself with respect and care and then demand the same from others.
Ensure motivation is high
Remember the childhood story about the little engine that could? When you want to accomplish your tasks with excellence and achieve your goals, it is an incredible testament to your level of motivation. Build momentum to fuel your motivation.
To ensure your motivation for your biggest goals, take the time to understand why you want to achieve them. You should also regularly take the time to visualise your life as it will be once you have achieved the goal i.e. you will be living the benefits.
The old saying that where there is a will there is a way is very true. When you reinforce your motivation like this, you will create an iron-clad will to achieve your goal and you will find a way to make it happen. Believing in yourself is that powerful.
During the tough times, keep the faith
No one is immune to experiencing rocky chapters in their life. But if you believe in yourself, you can meet these challenging phases with a positive, solid fortitude. You will push forward, move through the trying moments and know you will come out on the other side smarter, stronger and surer of yourself.
During the tough times, remind yourself of how you have gotten through tough times before. Think about how you had the resilience and toughness to get through it. Summon that resilience and you will soon start to fight back.
Then, as with the first step in this article, focus on what you can do on a daily basis to come out on the other side of the difficulties. You will gain even more confidence as you take each step, but you must start with some self-belief.
Recognise the bounty you have
Regardless of what stage of life you are living, search for the good all around you. Get the most you can from each moment. Live in the moment and be determined to focus on, and, be grateful for, all of the good things that are in your life.
When you are feeling down it is very tempting to think that your life is 100% bad, but that is rarely the case. Learn to compartmentalise i.e. if one area of your life is not working, do not automatically assume that every area of your life is bad; keep your sense of disappointment solely for the area where you are underperforming.
Then focus on each area of your life and spend a little time being appreciative for all the good things e.g. if you are struggling at work you may remind yourself of your successes such as:
- Your loving partner and kids
- Your great friends
- Your performance at the gym
- Your ability to look after your health
You could literally be grateful for anything positive in your life. The important thing is that you take the time to recognise the positives and appreciate them.
Also, do not wait for something to go wrong before you find something in your life to be grateful for. Take a little time each day to practice gratitude and whenever you achieve any success in your life, no matter how small, celebrate it.
Believing in yourself is one of the most powerful choices you can make and, it is a choice. In the face of adversity, any of the seven steps, outlined above, can prove to be difficult, but they are choices which you can make. If you dedicate yourself to fostering self belief and set aside a little time each day for working on it; you will soon find that you have greater resilience when the tough times come. You will stand strong, safe in the knowledge that no matter what life throws at you, you will be able to work through it. Practice these strategies and you will discover the sheer joy and comfort of knowing you can do whatever it is you choose when you believe in yourself.
With thanks to Carthage Buckley
No comments:
Post a Comment