Believe in Yourself

Principle #5 - Believe in Yourself

Have you ever wondered why we used to learn and achieve things faster as a toddler?

Your brain is designed to solve any problem and reach any goal that you give it. The words you think and say actually affect your body. We see that in toddlers. When you were a toddler, there was no stopping you. You thought you could climb up on anything. No barrier was too big for you to attempt to overcome. But little by little, your sense of invincibility is conditioned out of you by the emotional and physical abuse that you receive from your family, friends, and teachers, until you no longer believe you can.

When we were toddlers, all that we used to think in our minds were:

• "I want to get up!"
• "I want to start walking!"
• "I want to start running!"
• "I want to start cycling like my brothers!"

And at the same time, the people around us used to also be more encouraging to us when we were toddlers. They would say things to motivate and encourage us, such as:

• "You can do it!"
• "Clever boy!"
• "Try again!"
• "Take your next step!"

But as we grew up, expectations change and people around us would become less encouraging towards us and start applying their own self-limiting beliefs on us:

• "Are you sure you can do it?"
• "Don't be silly!"
• "You better don't repeat this again! Or else..."
• "Watch your next step!"

Which eventually lead us into doubting our own capabilities:

• "Can I really succeed?"

If you want to move ahead in life, something needs to change, and the one thing you need to change is YOU.

"You have to believe in yourself when no one else does. That's what makes you a winner." ~ Venus Williams

You also have to add to your thinking that "What others think about you is none of your business". Quit worrying about what people think about you and follow your heart.

Dr Daniel Amen's 18/40/60 Rule: When you're 18, you worry about what everybody is thinking of you; when you're 40, you don't give a darn what anybody thinks of you; when you're 60, you realize nobody's been thinking about you at all.

The truth is that everyone else is just as busy as you, thinking and worrying about their own lives. And if they happen to think about you at all, most likely they are also wondering what you are thinking about them. Think about all the time wasted here in worrying. Wouldn't it be good to convert this energy to good use instead?