Do you believe in yourself?

We are living in a world where big business isn’t as attractive as it used to be and people are, instead, looking to other options to find satisfaction, happiness and meaning in their lives.  As we set goals for these new chapters in life, we make tons of plans and run full-steam ahead, but often, we lose sight of one of the most important ingredients to our success:  believing in ourselves.

It is easy to get caught up in the day-to-day, but without this specific element, reaching our goals can be more challenging.   Here’s why:

1. The Rough Patches: When we find that we hit a rough patch in our path to success, we need something to pull us out of the “funk.”  Not every day is going to be a success…some days may be dull or may feel like we aren’t getting anywhere.  It is at these times that believing in ourselves gives us the energy to keep going.
2. Rejection: Believing in ourselves helps us get through the rejections, the “naysayers,” the “you can’ts,” the “it won’t works” and the “nos” and, instead, gives us the confidence to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and try all over again.
3. Self-Confidence: Knocking yourself or even just forgetting to believe in your ability to do the things you want can take a toll on your self-confidence.  This negativity, unfortunately, can become a downward spiral…ultimately undermining all of your efforts and sabotaging your ability to be successful.
4. It’s Contagious: Your belief in yourself is probably one of the best and most valuable sales tools and influences in getting others to believe in you.  In all honesty, have you ever been eager to help those individuals who were doubtful of their own capabilities?  Probably not.  You may have felt badly for them, but you probably didn’t feel very confident in them.  If you exude confidence and a belief in who you are and what you set out to do, other people will feel the same way.  And, unlike the self-confidence point above, this positivity can bring new opportunities and open doors that may not have happened without your believing in yourself.
5. Why Not?: If you can’t believe in yourself, who CAN you believe in?  First and foremost, you have YOU to respond to.  You have YOU to count on.  And, you have YOU to believe in.  You are the captain of your ship, the master of your destiny…so believe in yourself to do what you want to do and be successful!

Do you believe in yourself?  How has it helped you to reach your goals and be successful?