In this article: Strategies to learn to believe in yourself, a beneficial way to view failure, mindset shifts to help you gain confidence in yourself.
When we learn to believe in ourselves, some pretty amazing things can start to unfold. We tolerate less of what weighs us down, crave abundance more, and aren’t afraid to acknowledge the things we truly deserve in our lives.
Believing in ourselves places us on a path toward opportunity. It can make us feel worthy both in our personal and professional lives.
If you are finding it hard to believe in yourself, here are some strategies to help you:
Begin With A Place Of Acceptance
We must first acknowledge where we currently are to make changes in our lives. Not all of us were given the tools when we were young to develop the strengths to believe in ourselves. But, we can’t allow that to hold us back any longer.
At the foundation of believing in yourself are self-worth, self-confidence, and self-trust. If you know you are lacking in one of those areas, now isn’t the time to place shame on yourself, but acknowledge that is where the deep work needs to happen.
Your self-worth, self-confidence, and self-trust will grow when you practice the following steps.
Take Action
Remember these three words: action breeds growth. When it comes to anything we want to be good at in life, we must first practice it. Learning to believe in yourself may not be something that comes easily to you. It’s only through taking massive action that you will become efficient at solidifying your strengths.
For example, if your goal is to run a 5K, you can only make it happen by peeling yourself off your couch and making the conscious effort to begin.
Think about the essential things you learned to do when you were young: learning to walk, brushing your teeth, or tying your shoe.
How did you know how to do all those things? By doing them. Practice, practice, practice. That’s the only way to grow.
Don’t overcomplicate your life by justifying that because it isn’t happening for you today, it will not happen. Keep taking the next step, no matter how small it is.
Never dismiss the simplicity of taking the first step.
Allow Failure To Flow Freely In Your Life
We often associate failure with doing something wrong. As a result, this idea of fear makes us cower down and return safely to what feels comfortable.
It often, no, I take that back, it always feels better to play small because that’s what our brain likes to feel. Our brain wants to keep us safe and sound, and sticking to what’s familiar will do that for us.
No danger in sight is a good thing—right? Wrong.
I hated raising my hand in school. I always feared the same thing. That I would appear stupid or incompetent, and by no means did not like to have the eyes and ears of my classmates on me.
I kept my opinions to myself, sat in the back, and got by.
Got by…what a terrible place to be.
We were not put here to get by, play it small, or sit in the back. We are here to evolve into our greatest potential, and the day that you realize that for yourself, I can assure you, you will do anything in your power to welcome failure into your life with open arms.
One of the most courageous things we can do is challenge ourselves to do things far outside our comfort zone. Chasing ideologies we may fail at is the best way to push ourselves forward.
Having these feelings of uncertainty can benefit your growth.
When you are in a place of feeling like you’re failing, know that it’s ok and often a sign you are doing something right, even if it doesn’t feel like it at the time.
If you go your whole life without failing again, it probably means you’re being too easy on yourself or choosing the most comfortable option.
We need to take the time to diligently seek out those things that will make our hearts race and palms sweat, as it is during those moments that will change your life for the better.
Surround Yourself by People Who Believe in You
Most of the time, when we try to build the strength to believe in ourselves, it requires self-growth that has to be done on our own. Yet, it also helps to have the encouragement of others.
It’s important to place yourself in an environment that will help support your growth as often as possible.
Let’s get the harsh advice out of the way. Not everyone is going to support you the way that you had hoped. The quicker you can overcome the fact that some of your family members or closest friends will be unavailable to support your dreams and goals.
It’s not that your friends and family don’t want to see you win; it could be that they don’t understand what it is you’re trying to do. It could also be that they’re using so much of their time and energy on their problems that they don’t have enough energy to give you.
It’s hard not to take their lack of effort or caring personally, but it is not our job to understand. Focus on what you are here to do and let others go about their business. There are plenty of people who want to see you win, so focus on the people that are willing to be there to help you reach your goals.
Surround yourself with people who want to see you win and do the same for others.
Have Meaningful Conversations with Yourself
Start with this. Take the time to think about the barriers that are keeping you stuck. Is it self-doubt? Is it the same negative thoughts on loop? Or is it that you absorb the negativity around you when someone tells you you can’t do something?
Remember, it is up to each of us to decide which words we let in. What are the thoughts worth keeping around? Most of the time, people have made up their minds about who they believe we are, whether it’s true or not. What’s more important than what others think about us is what we believe about ourselves.
Only focus on the thoughts that serve you a greater purpose. We don’t have to believe everything that comes into our minds. If useless thoughts flow in, I believe it’s ok to acknowledge them, but then you have to be honest about whether it’s true.
How do you learn to believe in yourself?
It’s up to us to decide which thoughts are worth believing.
Related: The Ultimate Summer Bucket List
*Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself, and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post may contain affiliate links that, at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This helps keep my website up and running. I appreciate you and your support!