Of all the ideas and things in the world, believing in yourself is often the hardest thing to master. Self-belief is the fuel that drives your engine towards greatness, but most of us are left with a spluttering old pickup that won’t do what we want it to. Want to learn how to believe in yourself more? This is the place and now is the time!
Believing in yourself is about knowing who you are, what you are capable of, and having faith that you can count on yourself. You see yourself, flaws and all, but you push towards your highest ideal, achieve what you set out to do, and learn to leap.
Sounds good? Who wouldn’t want to trust themselves, have the courage to leap forward, and achieve all their dreams? Yet, self-belief is harder than you think. Let’s make this journey into the self a little easier with some great techniques and valuable insights that will have you building your “self” in no time at all.
What Is Self-Belief & How Do You Cultivate It?
When considering what self-belief really is, we come across terms such as self-confidence and self-efficacy. These both mean the ability to depend on yourself and achieve what you set out to do. In essence, it is when you trust yourself.
How do you trust yourself? Being able to trust anyone means you know them. You surely wouldn’t trust a stranger? So, how do you get to know yourself? How do you find out what you are all about? Matthew McConaughey’s viral speech states you use a process of elimination—you find out who you are not.
Once you know who you aren’t, you can discover who you are. That is the foundation of trusting yourself. You build a relationship with yourself, a relationship of trust, a relationship of self-belief and of self-development.
The Capability of Your “Self”
You are capable of so much more than you realize. When you practice self-belief, you are allowing yourself to be all you are capable of. The faith you have in yourself helps you to not fail, to not give up, and to not doubt. When you doubt, you are questioning your own abilities and your right to dream of bigger goals.
Don’t self-doubt. Become a self-believer and you will be a self-achiever.
Your inner self is a powerful part of your life. When you know it fully, you will be able to believe in yourself more and achieve more. Gain the following self-knowledge if you want to improve your self-belief:
| Your Energy Levels | Knowing what your energy levels are will help you pace yourself. Sometimes you aren’t failing, you are just tired and require rest. Knowing this can help you maintain faith in yourself. |
| Why Do You Do Things? | Finding your motivation can help you know why you do things. This will help foster greater self-belief. |
| What Is Your Passion? | Your passion, unlike your motivation, is about finding that which moves you instantly. It is what excites you. |
| How Do You Learn? | Each of us learn in a different way. Some are visual learners, others learn by moving, and still others on an audio level. Your learning might be multi-faceted. Knowing how you learn can help you improve, which boosts your self-esteem and self-belief. |
| How Do You Form Habits? | We are creatures of habits. Forming good habits makes for dependability, and you will be able to trust yourself and believe in yourself more when you habitually do the right thing. |
| What Are Your Fears? | What you are afraid of says a lot about your “self.” This is not to say being afraid of snakes is an indicator of anything. Instead, this refers to those deep-seated fears that usually hold you back, like being afraid of failing, afraid of not being enough, or being afraid of disappointing others. Knowing this helps you trust yourself. |
| What Picks You Up? | Being able to maintain a steady mood is a valuable asset in a stressful world. Knowing what picks you up can help you maintain level headedness, which makes you trustworthy. |
When you know yourself, you are able to know what you can and can’t do. Real honesty with yourself will help you develop more self-belief.
How to Self-Believe More
Self-belief is a developmental mindset. This means you should begin believing in yourself incrementally. It allows you to believe more and more in yourself by testing your trust a small amount at a time. Each time you succeed and validate the trust, you can believe a little more in how capable and awesome you really are.
You can self-believe more when you:
- Take Note of Your Thoughts
These are repeating self-talk that are often negative. They can break you down if you don’t intentionally rephrase and reshape them. The better you think, the better your self-belief will become.
- Past Experiences
Note what happened in your past to make you doubt yourself. Make peace with what happened, understanding that it is over. You are no longer that person, and you can believe in who you are now.
- Replace Old Negative Thoughts With Positive New Thoughts
Find what has been repeating and replace this with a positive thought to help you back on track. “I am stupid” becomes “I am learning.” When you think positively, you act positively, and you will be able to trust yourself and believe in yourself more.
What Happens When You Believe?
When you believe in yourself more, you are able to act in the world in a much more authoritative way. You can begin to be the changes you desire to see. Your self-esteem will flourish, and your self-belief will grow at an exponential rate. With the power of self-belief, all things become possible. The world becomes not a place to fear but rather a place to conquer.
Results of Self-Belief
Studies into self-belief and self-efficacy found that there is a direct correlation between believing you can do something and actually doing it. When you believe in yourself, you give yourself the power and authority to act.
Self-belief fosters less self-doubt, and you will be able to experience less fear. Your anxieties will diminish, and you will focus on what you can achieve and less on what is holding you back.
We see this in athletes of any sporting field who do amazing things based solely on their ability to believe in themselves.
Ways to Self-Believe
There are a number of ways to increase your self-belief or self-esteem. Each of us responds differently to these techniques, and while some may not work for you, it is up to you to find the ways that do work for you. You can believe more with these three ways:
- Visualize Your Success
When you can see yourself succeeding at something, the battle is half-won. This also implies not allowing yourself to worry that you may fail.
- Affirm Your Thoughts and Actions
Affirmations are more than just hopeful statements. They are precursors to real events. Telling yourself that you can, that you are capable, and that you are good enough will make it so. Work, think, and live in the affirmative mindset and success will happen.
- Step Outside Your Comfort Zone
When you really want to boost your self-belief, step outside of what is familiar and see how you shape up under an entirely new set of rules and pressures. This is perhaps why in early history, a young man underwent a quest to a lost land to find themselves. In essence, the young man was learning to believe in themself. You might try a new hobby, go on an adventure, or visit a place you have never been before.
Tricks for Better Self-Belief
Load up your self-belief arsenal with some additional tricks to help you master and boost your self-esteem. Try these tricks:
- Find Five Positives
In a negative world, we see ourselves as being incapable. Find five things you are capable of. There are loads of examples of success in your life. Find any five to write down and reflect on.
- Log Off
Avoid social media for a mental detox. Being surrounded by everyone else’s “perfect” isn’t going to help you believe in yourself. Just be real; you are enough.
- You Are Number One
Don’t play second fiddle to everyone else. Stand up for yourself and your dreams. When you become your own champion, you will have unshakable self-esteem and buckets of self-belief.
Q&A on Self-Belief
- What happens when you start to believe in yourself?
With self-belief comes courage, self-acceptance, and emotional stability. You are able to do what you imagine since you trust in your own abilities. The faith in yourself is what boosts your self-esteem.
- Why can’t I believe in myself?
You might be afraid due to a past failure you haven’t gotten over, or someone’s negative opinion of you has made you self-doubt. The negative self-talk of your own doubtful mind dominates your thinking, which leads to negative action and failure.
Now I Believe …
Once you have tasted the power of self-belief and seen how it can positively manifest in your life, you will find it becomes a familiar path. You can cultivate self-belief. It is in your power to map your mind, plan your actions, and take a leap of faith in yourself.
Studies confirm that believing in yourself is essential for success. Without self-belief, you will not achieve much as you will always expect the worst. Start a daily self-belief journey today. From your mind to your actions: You can!