The power of believing in yourself

"Believe in yourself, take on your challenges, dig deep within yourself to conquer fears. Never let anyone bring you down. You got to keep going." - Chantal Sutherland

As I planned my final blog post of the year, I reflected on the theme of many of the previous posts this year. A resounding message I discovered was "the power to do great things lies within you." It is important to make self-belief a priority in our lives.
In this blog post, we will explore the definition of believing in yourself, signs you don't believe in yourself and five reasons why you need to believe in yourself.
 
What does it mean to believe in yourself?

• Self-belief is confidence in your own abilities or judgment. (Source: Collins Dictionary)
• Our self-assurance in trusting our abilities, capacities, and judgments; the belief that we can meet the demands of a task.” (Source: Positive Psychology program)
• The belief that you can do things well. (Source: Macmillan Dictionary)

 
What are signs you don't believe in yourself?
Some of the signs to look out for are:

• Feeling like you don't have any unique contribution.
• Doubting that you have the required skills and abilities to be successful.
• Believing mostly negative things people say about you.
• Rejecting new opportunities and being afraid of bigger responsibilities.

 
Why should you believe in yourself?
There are many strong reasons why you need to believe in yourself. Let’s explore some of them:
 
Reason 1: You are the only you
We are all unique. Regardless of who you were born or grew up around, the fact is, there is no one else like you. When you start living in this truth, you'll stop comparing yourself to others and diminishing your uniqueness.
Question to consider:

• What makes you unique?
• How do you celebrate your uniqueness?
  

 
Reason 2: You have a huge contribution
You have a significant contribution to make to the lives of the people around you, even though you don't always feel this way. The feeling that there's not much you can contribute is very common. When you focus on all the great things, you have to offer, your perspective on life changes.
Questions to consider:

• What is your unique contribution?
• How can you remind yourself daily of your contribution?

 
Reason 3: If you don’t believe in yourself who will?
It is interesting that we expect people to believe in us when we don't believe in ourselves. Observe your thoughts and words about yourself. Become your biggest fan!
Questions to consider:

• Do you expect others to believe in you though you don't believe in yourself?
• How can you become your biggest fan?

 
Reason 4: You have what it takes to be successful
Believe that you have the required skills and abilities to thrive in life. Especially when you start doubting yourself, remember that you are enough and you have the opportunity to build anything you may be missing.
Questions to consider:

• Do you believe you have what it takes to be successful in 2019? If not, what can you do about it?
• How can you grow what lies within you?

 
Reason 5: You will go places you never expected to go
People are more attracted to you when you exude confidence. Believing in yourself is a trait that will open doors to many new opportunities and set you up for greatness.
Questions to consider:

• What opportunities has believing in yourself provided you?
• What new opportunities will you accept in 2019?

 
Final Thoughts
Let's wrap up with some positive affirmations to say to yourself:

• "I have what it takes to be successful."
  
• "I am starting to feel more and more confident in my abilities."
• "I know that I am strong."
• "I will continue to learn and grow."
• "I am enough."
  

 
Great Resources

• The Incredible Power of Believing in Yourself
• 10 Ways To Believe In Yourself Again
• 5 Positive Ways to Build Your Belief in Yourself
• 3 Reasons Believing in Yourself Is the First Step to Success
• 6 Simple Steps to Start Believing in Yourself
• 11 Strategies to Develop an Unshakeable Belief in Yourself

 
Wrapping up 2018
Thank you for being part of my journey this year. I'm looking forward to many more learning experiences in 2019.