Self-Belief

Have you ever looked at a successful person and thought, “What does he/she have that I don’t?” Ever wonder why some folks tend to rise to the top quickly, while others remain stagnant? Why the heck does success come so easily to some, and not for others? 

Answer: It’s pure magic and they’re all part of the Illuminati. 

Just kidding.

The truth is, those of us who achieve extraordinary levels of success don’t do it by mistake. 

Success is almost never accidental. 

And although it means different things to different people, the one thing I’m sure about when it comes to success—however you define it—is this: 

Successful people know how to think big. 

And that’s what we’ll be covering in my new multi-part series, inspired by The Magic of Thinking Big by Dr. David Schwartz. Each installment of this series will include a Big Idea and an Actionable Insight from the book that you can apply in your own life. 

Let’s dive in. 

People who succeed are not smarter, more educated, luckier or even harder working than people who fail. (Think about it: don’t you know at least one dumbass who seems to succeed at everything he does effortlessly, despite having a low IQ?) Instead, the one factor that separates the mediocre from the great is belief in themselves and their ability to succeed. 

The truth is, that each and every one of us has the ability to turn our dreams into reality. 

But the sadder truth is that the majority of people won’t.

And for most folks, the solution to this is right between their ears: the thoughts they think and the beliefs they hold. 

Nothing has ever been achieved without the sincere belief that it could be done, and no one’s ever made something of themselves without thinking big.

Our thoughts determine our reality, so if we don’t like our reality, then the only solution is to change our thoughts.

That’s where The Magic of Thinking Big comes in… 

Let’s look at a fella named Bill, who spent years wallowing in a career that was going nowhere. 

One day, ol’ Billy boy sat down and started thinking about his life. He began comparing himself to his colleagues and coworkers, all of whom ended up becoming way more successful than him. 

One by one, he thought about what they had done that he had neglected to do. 

Then it hit him. 

He realized that the one thing he didn’t have that they did was initiative—the willingness, the confidence, the self-belief he needed to act on his ideas and ambitions.

When Bill got ideas, he didn’t do anything about them. 

When he felt a desire to take action, it was quickly subdued by a firestorm of negative thinking (What if it fails? What if I embarrass myself?)

And so he never lived up to his full potential. Sad. 

In contrast, let’s look at a young woman named Sophia, who seemed to have absolutely nothing going for her… 

Sophia wanted to start her own business, but she had no experience and very little capital. 

She had very little going for her. 

But she had initiative. 

She had self-belief, and she acted on it. And it won her investors, gave her energy, and fueled her determination to follow her dreams until they became her reality. 

Let’s talk a little more about self-belief… 

Self-belief is not the same as wishful thinking. 

Believing in yourself doesn’t mean automatic success. 

It ain’t gonna fall in your lap, no matter how rosy your glasses are. 

Instead, a strong sense of self-belief triggers your mind to come up with plans for success – and to find solutions to any problems that arise on the journey towards that success. 

On the flip side, negative, defeatist thoughts trigger more of the same. 

That’s why we’ve got to do away with these negative thinking patterns before they take control and influence our minds.

One way to do that is to constantly seek opportunities for self-development. You’re doing that right now, just by reading this. 

Here’s another way to do it… 

Actionable insights

When you see someone who’s achieved the kind of success you want, don’t just wonder why you’re not where they are—observe them, engage with them, and find out what they’ve done to become successful: 

• Observe their habits + mannerisms. What do they do with their time? How do they speak and carry themselves? 
   
• Ask them what they’ve done to become successful. “Interview” them to find out what their personal philosophy is. Ask them to share their own principles of what it takes to become a success. 
   
• Then, experiment by applying those same methods to your own life.