The power of self-belief

So here we go - another year has passed by. It is now 2014. 

Did you feel  stuck at any time in 2013?

Do you want to manifest your destiny?

Do you lack self-belief?

There are many who live with severe challenges and yet have a relentless self-belief. Remember: nothing will change until you change. As your self-belief deepens you start feeling that you deserve to be happy and successful; then, you will start allowing it to happen and understand that it’s not selfish to want to raise the bar and improve your life.

Change your perception

“I cried because I had no shoes until I saw someone with no feet.”  
Persian proverb

Remember: self-belief is a learned behaviour. When you hear that doubting voice creep in telling you that you are not smart enough, thin enough, rich enough, funny enough, tall enough, fit enough, experienced enough…think for a moment - whose voice is it?

You were not born with those thoughts and beliefs, so where did they come from? An ex-partner, a parent, a teacher, a bully at school, a bully at work, a sibling, a colleague, a boss, a business partner? Or are they a mix of people over the years? Your lack of self-belief is based on perception, not reality.

Perception, not reality

It’s so important to understand that, no matter what is going on in your life or what isn’t, it’s your interpretation of the situation, not anyone else’s. Your interpretation and perception belongs to you. Please read this a few times. Successful, confident people understand that reality doesn’t exist - it is all about perception. 

You may have been taught from an early age to look to others for approval and were punished if you didn’t conform, and many are rewarded for conformity. Sadly, many employees who come up with amazing ideas which can make the boss look bad get demoted or ignored and treated unfairly and often the employees who say yes to everything are promoted. This knocks confidence and self-belief. 

Stay faithful to your dreams

Many famous people suffered these experiences and it didn’t stop any of them from following their dreams, so you can’t use these experiences as excuses. 

Walt Disney, Thomas Edison, George Bernard Shaw, George Eastman (creator of Kodak), Albert Einstein and Quentin Tarantino  didn’t do well at school, and Avril Lavigne and Hilary Swank quit school.

Three Moguls with no degree.

Lee Bollinger President Columbia University was rejected at Harvard:
“My experience cemented my self belief that it was up to me alone to define my talents and potential. Don’t allow rejections to control your life; to allow other people’s assessment of you to determine your own self assessment is a very big mistake. The question really is: who at the end of the day is going to make the determination about what your talents are, and what your interests are? That has to be you.”

Ted Turner, Media mogul, worth 2 billion was rejected by Princeton and Harvard:
“I want to be sure to make this point: I did everything I did without a college degree.”

Warren Buffet, Business magnate, investor and philanthropist worth 44 billion was rejected at Harvard:
“Harvard rejection prompted me to settle down and stop partying. The initial stumble was critical in getting me launched. The truth is that everything that has happened in my life…that I thought was a crushing event at the time, has turned out for the better. Setbacks teach lessons that carry you along. You learn that a temporary defeat is not a permanent one. In the end it can be an opportunity.”

Unleash your potential.

The first place to start is to accept who you are and embrace your strengths, getting clear on what you do well and what you don’t do so well. Get honest with yourself. This is no time to mess around - you want to see changes, right? You need to change the way you think, alter your perceptions. Change comes from inspiration or from desperation - either way you have to WANT it.

MAKE IT HAPPEN - AFTER ALL YOU ARE WORTH IT!