What Do You Believe About Yourself?
What do you believe deep-down about yourself? According to the Max Maltz, the best-selling author of the book, Psycho-Cybernetics, “Low self-esteem is like driving through life with your handbrake on.” The beliefs we have about ourselves and our abilities have immense power. Positive beliefs motivate us to achieve our goals and nurture lasting success. On the other hand, negative beliefs not only hinder us from creating the lives we desire, they may also provide the excuses we rely upon to explain why we didn’t achieve our goals or didn’t try at all. Beliefs like, “I’m not smart enough” or “I wasn’t born with the connections and know-how to be rich,” regardless of whether or not they’re true, become the heavy anchor we drag around, preventing us from reaching the heights of our true potential.
Our beliefs stem from two things: past experiences and feedback from others. For example, if you aced every math test in school, you may believe you’re a math whiz. However, if along the way, you hit a rough patch and don’t do as well in geometry—maybe you fail a test or two—you may begin to doubt your math abilities. If a teacher, parent, or even another student makes the comment, “Maybe math isn’t your thing after all,” this belief becomes a fact to you, even if it’s false.
Although it’s good to learn from our past experiences and seek out the feedback of others, it’s our choice whether or not to buy into it all. Zig Ziglar said, “Failure is an event, not a person.” If you try and fail, by all means, learn from the experience; however, resist the temptation to let it impact what you believe about yourself. For example, losing a client to the competition isn’t a sign that you shouldn’t be an agent; it’s an opportunity to improve your skills so you can ‘wow’ the next client.
The same is true for the feedback we receive from others. While we may receive honest and unbiased feedback from time to time, often it’s colored by the other person’s fears and circumstances. With this in mind, take feedback with a large grain of salt. If multiple people have told you the same thing or if it resonates with you, it’s likely true.
So, what do you believe about yourself and your abilities? In the latest episode of It’s a Good Life, episode #111, Brian shares more about the topic of self-belief and offers tips to improve your belief in yourself, your abilities and your future. Click here to listen. And, don’t forget to download the resource to help you evaluate your self-esteem.
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