Life and Leadership by The Book: Getting Our Act Together

The key to transforming our lives is to believe in ourselves. Have you ever really given any thought to how much believing in yourself changes the quality of how you feel, and the quality of your life? Without getting past this crucial first step, we cannot sustain the energy or momentum to see things through to their conclusion.

Benefits

There are many benefits that come along with having a strong faith in ourselves:

You see and enjoy the abundance that all of life has, and has always had, to offer you.
You feel uplifted and more satisfied with yourself and your life.
Deep down inside, you know you can accomplish almost anything. You realize that you are your own biggest stumbling block most of the time. Now you can deal with that fact honestly, and move forward.
You will be more optimistic about the future as you continue to set goals and actually achieve them.
Others can feel your positive energy and are attracted to you.
You recognize your ability to accomplish goals.
As you accomplish some of your goals and dreams, you are more motivated to get more things done, and to dream bigger dreams.
You will be nicer to yourself.
You find that your faith grows, and that you have faith, no matter what.

So, our primary personal goal today needs to be to focus our energy and attention on our qualities of self-confidence and well-being on a daily basis. The good news is you can do this! There are some specific actions that we can take to fortify, or strengthen, our belief in ourselves.

How do we get it done?

Whether you feel like you may be coming up a little short in this area of your life or just want to strengthen your belief for the additional benefits, I have some suggestions to offer that have served me well in the past, and continue to keep me moving forward.

1.     Have confidence in your own abilities to get something done. Be your own best cheerleader-leading section and encourage yourself to get your tasks done. Learn to break large tasks down into smaller, achievable portions. Then, even when times are tough and your spirit is low, you’ll know you can do it. If we break things down into manageable chunks, even when we lose our footing or feel overwhelmed, we can still pick up the pieces and go on. We can get back on task, rather than abandoning the entire venture.

2.     Create dreams. Whether it’s getting into the job or career you want, obtaining more training, hooking up with someone you admire, traveling, or setting a goal to make or save a million dollars, you need to connect these things with your dreams. Your place of origin, the money you are currently making, and the people you hang out with are insignificant to the dreams that you can create for yourself. Dreams are often focused on what we want for ourselves in the future. When you believe in your dreams, you can also believe in you!

3.     Establish goals and go for it. Believing in yourself means you’re motivated to get things done. Dreams and goals are worthless unless we put some action behind them. Get into the habit of setting goals; both short-term and long-term goals. Then, you can clearly see what the next step should be. Then you will be able to take the next action and do-able steps to achieve them.

4.     Treat yourself well. Treating yourself with a nurturing nature and the understanding that you’re a deserving human being is an important aspect of developing belief in yourself. Pamper yourself when you desire it. First, if you don’t treat yourself well, neither will anyone else. Second, recognize and expect that others should treat you with respect and love. Third, if you don’t take care of yourself, you will be more susceptible to stress and burn-out.

5.     Keep your motivation high. Remember that old childhood story about the little engine that could? Well, you are it! When you want to accomplish your tasks with excellence and achieve your goals, it’s an incredible illustration to remember in order to boost your level of motivation. Build momentum to fuel your motivation; and keep it going.

6.     During the tough times, keep the faith. No one is immune from experiencing rocky periods in their lives. But if you believe in really yourself, you can meet those challenging times with a positive, solid fortitude. You’ll continue to push forward, move through the trying moments and know you’ll come out on the other side smarter, stronger and surer of yourself.

7.     Recognize the bounty you have. Regardless of what stage of life you’re living, search for the good all around you. Live every moment to its fullest! Live in a state of gratitude. Look around you for things to be grateful for; you won’t have to look very far. When you live your life in a state of gratitude, your outlook about everything will change. And so will you.

Choosing to believe in ourselves in the most important single choice you can make in your life. Practicing these strategies will help you discover the absolute joy and comfort of knowing you can do whatever it is you choose when you believe in yourself.