Life & Spirituality

How to Believe in Yourself (And Why It’s Important)

Everything you have in your life is a result of your belief in yourself and the belief that it’s possible. Here are the four most important steps to learning how to believe in yourself.

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Do you know what the most dangerous lie in the world is?

Two simple words: “I can’t.”

It’s THE falsehood most people say over and over to persuade themselves not to take risks that might make them uncomfortable or cause them to experience some sort of perceived “failure.”

But the thing about failure is, it’s simply a lesson that’s giving you the information you need to do a better job next time. And being uncomfortable simply means you’re having a new experience that’s requiring you to grow!

That’s why it’s so important to let go of the words “I can’t” and instead embrace the truth: you can achieve absolutely anything you can imagine – IF you believe in yourself.

By cultivating self-belief and developing a positive thinking mindset, you’ll gain the confidence you need to successfully navigate any situation that life throws your way.

When you believe in yourself, your self-confidence becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. You WILL be that person who is able to show up and get results – and you absolutely WILL experience better outcomes in everything you do!

So today I’d like to share some thoughts on how to believe in yourself and gain confidence in your ability to take risks, overcome challenges, and achieve ambitious goals that require you to stretch and master new skills. 

It’s time to eliminate self-doubt and discover your own abilities to change your own life and create the reality you want!

Benefits of Believing in Yourself

Let’s dig into the psychological benefits of cultivating self-belief – and developing a positive mindset that allows you to have faith in your ability to attain a much higher level of personal and professional success.

Self-Confidence is Key

If you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will. That may sound harsh but it’s true. 

When you’re full of self-doubt and overly critical of your own behavior, people will tend to assume that you know what you’re talking about. 

Either they think there is probably a good reason for you to have low self-esteem, or they’ll read your negative self-talk and lack of self-trust as proof you haven’t yet developed the growth mindset required to get you to where you want to be in life. And because they know you have more work to do, they’ll be less likely to give you the support to move rapidly forward.

The fact is, you are the only one who can build self-confidence and cultivate the positive attitude you need to believe in yourself and succeed in life. And the good news is, it can be easier than you think. 

Small shifts in your mindset can help you develop self-love and self-trust and gain the high self-esteem you need to attract people to your vision and become unstoppable!

One Step Closer to Success

When you believe in yourself, it’s much easier to take the first big step that will bring you closer to your goal. And then the next step. And the next! 

Self-doubt will try to convince you that your next step will cause you to stumble and fall. But, if you feel confident and have a high sense of self-worth, you’re more likely to trust your inner compass and have faith that you will lead yourself in the direction of your goals. 

Low self-esteem sees only danger in its future while high-self esteem envisions endless possibilities.

Encourages You to Keep Trying

Even when you do run into challenges and setbacks when you have a high level of self-belief you’re able to rebound faster and figure out a way to resolve the situation successfully so you can get back on track toward all the amazing things you want to accomplish in your life.

You will also find it easier to enlist people to your cause and get the support you need to overcome any obstacle – because the people who can help you will see how deeply you believe in yourself and trust that their efforts to assist you won’t be wasted.

You can grab it here and get started today. 

DOWNLOAD JACK’S GOAL-SETTING GUIDE NOW. 

Factors Preventing You from Trusting Yourself

The first step to overcoming low self-confidence and negative thinking is to recognize the factors that are holding you back from developing the self-trust and positive thinking you need to believe in yourself.

Here are some of the reasons people struggle to cultivate the positive attitude and self-confidence required to reach their desired finish line.

Comparing Yourself 

Comparison inevitably leads to unhappiness. We will always notice something the other person has that we don’t have and feel like our life is somehow “lesser than” as a result of not possessing that thing. 

But the truth is, when you compare yourself to others, you don’t see their whole truth! 

They may be struggling in ways you can’t see or imagine. And even if they are thriving, that doesn’t mean that you can’t. Happiness isn’t a zero-sum game. The happier and more successful you are, the happier and more successful ALL of us are.

Past Experiences

Oftentimes, the reason you find it hard to believe in yourself or appreciate your own positive qualities is due to experiences you had in your childhood that damaged your self-trust.

Someone you trusted told you, “you don’t have what it takes to do that!” and made you question your own self-worth. Because when people you trust say “you can’t,” you tend to believe them.

If events in your past have caused you to limit your self-belief and think negative thoughts about your own self-worth, a great way to counteract those unsupportive thoughts is to engage in a regular mindset practice. 

This could be meditation or something like EFT tapping. Or you may want to talk with a mental health professional – your self-improvement and well-being are worth it!

Current Relationships

Perhaps you’re in a relationship with someone whose influence makes it hard for you to believe in yourself. I’m talking about the kind of person who makes you believe you don’t have what it takes to change your life for the better. Hang around with someone like that for long enough and you’re bound to start believing them!

So if you struggle to believe in yourself, take a close look at the people you spend time with. Do they support you and cheer you on as you work toward creating the good life you dream of? When you express self-doubt, do they reassure you that you’re awesome and can achieve anything you set your mind to? Or do they encourage your low-self confidence in obvious ways, such as constantly pointing out what they see as your weaknesses or past mistakes? 

If you feel like they’re trying to hold you back and make you feel bad about yourself, it’s time to start compassionately exploring how to limit your time with them.

Self-Sabotage

Regardless of how other people in our lives treat us, you are always your own biggest enemy! This may sound odd but it’s true: you can’t control the words, thoughts, and actions of other people but you CAN control your own. 

In fact, you’re the only one who can. And when you insist on sabotaging your own efforts by procrastinating, dwelling in self-doubt, and ignoring opportunities to take action that will help you cultivate confidence and believe in yourself, you’re choosing (consciously or unconsciously) to keep yourself small. 

You may think what you’re doing is protecting yourself from the risk of failure, but all you’re really doing is preventing yourself from discovering what you’re capable of accomplishing.

4 Steps to Believe in Yourself

Now that you’re aware of the roadblocks that have been making it hard for you to believe in yourself more, it’s time to take action. Overcome those challenges and start exercising your power to build confidence in your ability to accomplish your big goals and create a life you love. 

You always have the choice to start shifting your thoughts in a new direction and rewrite your internal scripts to cultivate belief in your ability to do whatever you want in life.

Here are four steps that can help you make it happen:

1. Trust it’s Possible

Engage in regular positive self-reflection where you list absolutely everything you have accomplished in your life. 

Prove to yourself that you are someone who is capable of setting and achieving goals and taking risks and successfully surviving them. 

You may even want to start a positive self-talk practice to cultivate faith in your own abilities and get used to seeing yourself as someone who dreams big and has the power to bring your bold vision to life.

2. Visualize It: See What You Want, Get What You See

Regular visualization allows you to clearly see the kind of future you’re working towards. Not only does this help you make sure you’re always moving forward in the right direction, but it also helps you keep your goals top of mind even when a million other distractions are vying for your energy and attention.

One way to stay focused on your vision is by creating your own motivational vision board. A vision board is a graphic representation of exactly what you want in life. 

It can include pictures from magazines or ones you’ve downloaded online, as well as motivational words and sayings to remind you of your values, purpose, and desired experience. 

Put it somewhere you can see it every day to give yourself a powerful visual reminder of the future you’re working towards.

3. Act “As If”: Where Do You See Yourself in 5 Years?

One of the most effective ways to develop a positive success mindset is to act as if you’re already the kind of person who has created the life you dream of living.

Ask yourself: If you had already achieved your dream, what kind of person would you be? Who would you have as friends? What type of clothes would you be wearing? How would you act? How would you treat others? Would you tithe a portion of your income to your church or favorite charities?

Whatever actions you identify, start taking them now

By acting “as if,” you’ll become someone who is capable of creating the success you want – and this will trigger your subconscious mind to find creative ways to achieve your goals. 

You will start noticing anything that will help you succeed. Best of all, you’ll start acting on these opportunities, because you will have the confidence that your efforts will yield great results.

4. Take Action Toward Your Goals

I’ve noticed this is where a lot of people get stuck. You can understand all these principles, and you can set your goals, say your affirmations, and do your visualizations, but ultimately nothing happens if you don’t act on them.

The biggest reason most people don’t achieve their goals and realize their dreams is that they don’t take action, and the number one reason people don’t take action is fear. But fear is normal! 

Courage isn’t the absence of fear – it’s the willingness to keep moving forward into the unknown in spite of your fear. You’re able to experience the fear and take action anyway.

So how do you do that? You start small and take tiny achievable steps in the right direction. 

Allow yourself to be curious and cut yourself some slack if you stumble and fall. Just get back up, learn from the lesson, and keep going, trusting that you will gain the skills you need to reach your destination as you proceed on your journey. 

CASE STUDY: Jake Heilbrunn and the Power of Acting “As If”

Jake realized that he had chosen a path that didn’t align with what he really wanted in life. He decided to take a leap of faith and pursue his dream of traveling the world and helping people. 

So he hopped on a plane to Guatemala and spent four months teaching English to children. He found the purpose and fulfillment he’d been searching for – all because he allowed himself to believe it was possible!

Are You Ready to Finally Believe in Yourself?

Get started and start making great progress toward your goals with my free Goal-Setting Guide!

This tool will help you gain valuable clarity into what you really want in life and start taking small consistent steps toward making your most desired vision a reality.

 

You can grab it here and get started today. 

DOWNLOAD JACK’S GOAL-SETTING GUIDE NOW. 

 

Meet Jack Canfield

For over 40 years, he has been teaching entrepreneurs, educators, corporate leaders, and people from all walks of life how to create the life they desire.

As the beloved originator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul(r) series, he's taught millions of individuals his modernized formulas for success, and has trained and certified over 2,700 students to teach his content and methodology in 107 countries around the world.