Believing In Yourself

Henry Ford once said "Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right".

We've all met a wannabe entrepreneur - the kind of person that talks about starting a business but never actually takes the dive and does anything. Perhaps they spend all their time reading books on the subject but never really do anything to get things going?

They always seem to have excuses. They say…
" I’m too old to start now."
" I don’t know enough to be in business for myself."
" I can’t afford it."
" I will never be able to get finance."
" The economy is too unpredictable."

The amazing thing is that sometimes these people don’t even like where they are right now in life. I know several people who absolutely hate their jobs but prefer to suffer rather than actually look for a better one. It’s pretty clear that these people just don’t believe in themselves. They don’t believe they can actually become a success so they just keep doing what they’ve always done never moving forward.

Here are some simple ways to start learning how to believe in yourself and your abilities.

Get some paper and list every one of those things you really believe about yourself and your abilities or the lack of them. List them whether they are large or small. Once you have that list go through each belief and examine it. Ask yourself the following questions about each:

1. Is this true?
2. What is the proof?
3. Has there ever been a time when this wasn’t true?
4. If there hasn’t, what would you do if it wasn’t true?
5. If the belief is that you can’t or shouldn’t do something, what would happen if you did?

Then go and do whatever it is you feel you can't. It doesn't matter if you do it better than anyone else or if you don't do it as well as you would like. It only matters that you do it.

So often we allow self-defeating assumptions that leave us believing we can’t succeed. Very often this is caused by people in our lives who’ve impressed their own beliefs on us. If you accept this you are doing yourself a great disservice and giving your power to someone else. To reach your goals in life, believing in yourself is extremely important.

It is time to push beyond what you believe are your capabilities. The assumptions you have about yourself may not be true. You have simply accepted these assumptions as truth without proof. Consider all the possibilities of each situation. Challenge the assumptions and have an open mind to the possibility that you could be wrong!

Once you’ve challenged your belief, found that it wasn’t true and made a start, stay motivated. This can be tough if the people around you are always telling you what you can’t do instead of what you can do. There will always be someone who wants to bring you down, that is just a part of life. Of course it hurts when it’s someone whose opinion you value, like a spouse, family member or friend, but move beyond that and stay positive. Keeping a positive outlook will also improve your motivation. Try being a little arrogant, it's OK sometimes. KNOW that you can achieve what you set out to do. Don't allow the negativity and ridicule of others to destroy your motivation. Stay focused and keep believing. You’re well on the way to success!