“They will always tell you that you can’t do what you want to do, but you can do what you want to do. You just have to believe in yourself. The system is to bring you down, but you can rise up” — Bob Marley
We must’ve met some people in life who appear to be naturally confident as if confidence is something that they are born with or that is bestowed upon them by the god from the above. They are like the Greek character Achilles who was the hero of the Trojan War. He is considered as the greatest of all the Greek warriors and is well known for his courage and invulnerability. However, the idea that Achilles was flawless is simply not true. Have you ever heard of the term “Achilles Heel”? This means weakness in spite of overall strength. This word was originated from Achilles story, though he was powerful, his heel was his vulnerability. Similarly self – belief doesn’t mean believing that you are not vulnerable and definitely it’s not a trait that we are only born with. It’s a trait that can be developed by all of us.
Self – belief is of prime importance while we are going after our dreams and while we want to achieve anything in life. If we don’t trust and believe in ourselves, people and other circumstances can affect our mindset. Self – belief also serves as a fuel that will propel us every day to go and get the things that we want in our lives. It ensures that we put continued efforts on the right direction to eventually live our goals and dreams. When our self – belief is low, fear takes control of us. We might be determined and resilient in nature but when there’s fear, it restricts our goals and aspirations in life. It seeps into every corner of us, telling us that we aren’t capable enough to do something, limiting our experiences, dimming our dreams and putting a strong barrier between us and success. And on the other hand, a healthy sense of self – belief helps us face our fears head-on. It gives us the confidence to seek opportunities, including the highly risky opportunities. It gives us the power to conquer the world.
Having too much self belief also negatively impacts our ability to succeed. When we have too much self – belief, we tend to overestimate our abilities. For example, we can fail to meet deadlines because we’ve underestimated the time and effort the work requires to be completed. The key is to strike a healthy balance between having too much or too little self – belief, arriving at a healthy sense of self-belief that’s a reflection of our experience which leaves room for developing self-awareness.
When we have the right amount of self-belief, we not only convey our capabilities and weakness with humility and grace, but we also gain credibility, make a good lasting impression, and find healthy ways to deal with the challenges we face.
If you want to develop self-belief, start by treating yourself with the benevolence and regard that you would give a cherished relative or friend. Never think of yourself as less than someone else. After all, you are as relevant and have as much to give as others do. Therefore always remind yourself of how capable you’re in going after a task or a goal and work it to completion regardless of challenges and difficulties.
