Belief is a game-changer! There’s no shortage of studies to support this theory. Believing in yourself is a critical component to achieving goals and increasing your success. I often tell my clients, the only person that needs to believe you can do it is YOU. Sure, we all love our leader, spouse, employees, or friends to believe in us, but if we don’t harness empowering thoughts, it’s detrimental to our ability to achieve what we set out to do.
Recently, I ran into a former volleyball coach who led our 16 and under club team to a National Championship. We were reminiscing about the final match as we got crushed in the first two games. And I mean, it was a blowout! Our struggle began before the match even started. As our opponents walked into the gym, they were much taller and more physical than us. It got in our heads, and we came out shaken and scared. Our mindset was working heavily against us. You could see it in our eyes; we didn’t think we could beat them.
They let their guard down in the third game, and we started gaining confidence. We realized if we played our game, we had a chance. We encouraged each other and committed to relentlessly battling for every point. Our team took the next two games, and our season came down to 15 points.
They dominated us in the first four points. Our coach called a timeout, and the focus of his message had nothing to do with strategy. His message was all about BELIEF. You see, most days this coach was hard on us. He cared enough to tell us the hard truth and push us to our limits in the spirit of growth. He knew at that moment that we needed something different – it was not the time for “tough love”. This was a mental game. For the first time, he was vulnerable. He told us how proud he was and how much he believed in us. He replayed several instances where we’d been in this spot before and won. And then, he asked us to look around and believe in each other as much as he believed in each of us. That moment was pivotal, and we never looked back until we stood on the podium as a team, hoisting the trophy.
Mastering self-belief is simple, but powerful. If done with consistency, you can accelerate your results, be more confident stepping outside your comfort zone, and improve the way you feel as you chase big goals. So how do you do it?
- Pause and reflect– What thoughts are going through your mind? Are they empowering or defeating?
- Harness your “highlight reel”- This is a fun way of saying, think about when you’ve had success doing something similar before. It does not have to be the same activity or goal. Think about when you have conquered something challenging, something that you never thought you could do!
- Give yourself a pep talk– Whether you say it aloud or in your head, reinforce what you need to hear to be confident. What are your strengths or experiences that prove you are ready for this challenge? Shut down the doubts that creep in and intentionally CHOOSE to believe you can do it.
If you frequently practice these three steps, it will become a habit. As you achieve success, slowly your belief grows. You won’t always get the outcome you want, but the learnings you’ll have along the way will be worth it.
Remember, you can have an incredible impact on others by letting them know you believe in them. When people are trying to do hard things, hearing someone say, “I believe in you, you’ve got this,” reinforces their belief in themselves and spurs confidence. For my leaders out there, you play a powerful role in creating self-belief in those who report to you. You can see the potential in others before they even see it. Share your vision for what they can do, tell them often that you believe in them and explain why, and inspire them to believe in themselves.
Belief alone won’t create success, but when you pair it with purpose, grit, hard work, and resilience—you become unstoppable!
