“Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you’re right.” Henry Ford
“All achievement, all earned riches, have their beginning in an idea!” Andrew Carnegie
Do you recognize the names of the two guys quoted above? They may ring a bell? I think they probably know a thing or two about success…
Success is a mindset
Both those quotes require a deep understanding of your self-worth, and your self-belief. Not only do you have to be aware of how much your mind is worth, but you have to believe in yourself to execute your worth. If we have a strong self-worth, coupled with a belief we can, it will come true.
Additionally, if we have an idea, that’s where success (and riches) come from. It all starts in the mind. Combining self-confidence, with an idea, can create something great. It can create the life you want.
So, what’s holding you back?
Is it nerves? Is it a lack of an idea? Do you not believe in yourself?
Nerves.
They can get to us pretty easily. A lot of times we’re so fearful something might happen that we’re scared to start.
For instance, I went skiing over the weekend. I have been skiing since I was a little kid, but that doesn’t make me good. I’m a little above beginner, and I really only like green circles. My friend and I went down the same slope five times. Even after going down the same slope, I still got nervous on our fifth run. At the onset my nerves kept telling me “You can’t do this, what if you fall?” After a few back and forth cuts I regained my confidence and the nerves went away. Even after falling a couple times I got back up and kept going. Yes, I was nervous, but I proved I could do it.
That’s the thing about nerves, it’s not hard to put them to the test, and make them go away. Find your ski slope, fall down a couple times, and grow from your experience.
Lack of an idea.
I’m calling B.S. on this one. You have ideas. Maybe you haven’t mastered the ability to pluck them out of your brain, but they are there. You make 10’s of thousands of decisions each day, if one of those thoughts doesn’t spark an idea then you must be doing something wrong.
If you rack your brain and can’t come up with an idea I’d suggest daily blogging or downloading a note-taking app like Google Keep. When an idea does come to you, jot it down on your phone, and come back to it when you’re ready to think. If you have ideas rattling around in your head but can’t put them into one concrete thought, start daily blogging. Blog about anything! You’ll be surprised how much easier it becomes to put your thoughts into words.
Low self-belief.
This would be devastating to achieving your dreams. A low belief in yourself is definitely not going to help you get to where you want to be. Taking small steps to a better you, and cutting out depressants, like alcohol, are probably the only ways to get out of a lack of confidence funk.
For me, my self-belief comes from doing, and constantly improving. Every step forward opens up the next step to take. It’s not a simple life “hack,” but a long-run journey of improvements. Adding positive days, on top of positive days, will eventually result in greater confidence in your ability. Each step forward will make the next step easier.
Eliminating, or significantly cutting back on, alcohol will also help. Alcohol is a depressant that will definitely affect your psyche. For me, I get depressed by my actions from drinking. Staying out late, drinking too much, and wanting to binge-watch Netflix to get through my hangover are not going to improve my self-belief. In the following days I’ll regret my decisions. There’s a time and place for alcohol, but if it’s going to lower your confidence, the time is not now. Instead focus your time/energy on positive steps forward.
Stop holding yourself back
You can achieve your grandest of dreams if you believe in yourself, overcome your nerves, have an idea, and build your self-belief. Either you think you can, or you think you can’t. I’d prefer thinking I can, and proving the world I’m right. Stop holding yourself back, and start achieving.