{"id":41731,"date":"2021-07-18T06:44:00","date_gmt":"2021-07-18T10:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=41731"},"modified":"2021-07-26T11:52:23","modified_gmt":"2021-07-26T15:52:23","slug":"just-believe-in-yourself","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/just-believe-in-yourself\/","title":{"rendered":"Just Believe in Yourself: 5 Tips With Examples"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Do you think you can influence your life outcomes with your thoughts?\u00a0Would you say that you just believe in yourself<\/a> and your capabilities?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Science has shown that what happens in our lives tends to follow what we think will happen, or what we\u2019ve been conditioned to think will happen. So, to achieve what you want in life<\/a>, just believe in yourself, believe it will happen, believe you can do it, and don\u2019t be deterred by conventional wisdom that says otherwise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, you\u2019ll learn techniques to change your thinking and achieve success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Five Tips to Believe in Yourself<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes we don\u2019t think we\u2019re capable of achieving our dreams because we don\u2019t have the right characteristics for success. Yet, sometimes all it takes to achieve them is to just believe in yourself. Here are some tips on how to change your attitude and to start believing in your capabilities:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Cultivate good self-esteem. <\/strong>Your self-esteem, or how you see yourself<\/a>, ties into how readily you achieve your dreams<\/a>. You likely developed your sense of self from your parents, and they may have passed along to you negative attitudes about themselves and what they\u2019re capable of. Instead of seeing yourself as capable of taking on challenges, you may hold yourself back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, strive to see yourself in a positive light and believe you\u2019re capable of what you set your mind to. When you believe in yourself, your brain is more likely to take steps to make the dream a reality. Also, research shows that most people are capable of most things if they take time to learn, train, and practice.<\/strong> Of the successful people Canfield interviewed for this book, most reported that they weren\u2019t naturally talented at what they\u2019re good at\u2014they just put in the time to practice and get better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Stop saying \u201cI can\u2019t.\u201d <\/strong>Words can have a powerful effect on your self-image and ability to achieve your goals<\/a>. If you use phrases like, \u201cI can\u2019t,\u201d or even, \u201cI wish I were able to,\u201d you might convince yourself that you\u2019re incapable of doing something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his seminars, Canfield does an exercise to demonstrate that your thoughts can affect your physical strength. He asks a volunteer to hold out their arm and say different phrases. Canfield pushes down on their arm as they speak. When people say, \u201cI can play the guitar,\u201d their arm strength holds steady or is stronger as Canfield pushes. In contrast, if they say, \u201cI can\u2019t play the guitar,\u201d their arm weakens and is easier to push down. If you remove phrases like \u201cI can\u2019t\u201d from your vocabulary and amend negative beliefs about your abilities, you may achieve impressive things.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Example 1: Canfield attended a workshop to learn to walk on hot coals. At the beginning of the workshop, participants wrote out all of the things they didn\u2019t believe they could do on paper, such as, \u201cI can\u2019t be a millionaire,\u201d and \u201cI\u2019ll never meet my soulmate.\u201d They then burned them in a fire as a symbol of letting go of limiting beliefs. Later that day, all the participants walked across burning coals without anyone getting burned. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Example 2: In another instance, a mathematics graduate student at UC Berkeley came late to class and saw two problems on the board that he assumed were the homework assignment for the class. He didn\u2019t know the problems had never been solved in mathematics before. He worked on them over a few days and came up with solutions, surprising his professor. Had he known the problems had never been solved, he wouldn\u2019t have attempted to solve them. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Ignore people\u2019s judgments and ideas about how to live your life. <\/strong>It\u2019s easy to let what others think of you\u2014perceived or suspected\u2014shape how you see your capabilities. It\u2019s also easy to let the opinions of people we care about, like our partners and parents, factor heavily into which dreams we pursue. Instead, ignore the people who question your abilities, and work to achieve your dreams rather than the dreams others have for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Example: Catherine Lanigan was told by a professor in her freshman year of college that she was a terrible fiction writer and had no promise of succeeding in that field. The professor told Catherine he\u2019d give her a B in the class if she promised to change majors at the end of the semester. <\/strong>She didn\u2019t write for the next 14 years, until an acquaintance encouraged her to try again. She wrote a book that was picked up by a publishing company and went on to publish 33 best-selling books, some of which were made into movies. If she hadn\u2019t listened to the naysaying professor, she could have pursued her writing and reached her dreams much earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Know that any time is the right time to pursue your dreams. <\/strong>You may tell yourself you\u2019re not the right age to pursue your dreams. You may think you\u2019re too old\u2014if you wanted to become an actor, you should have started years ago. Or, young people may think they lack the expertise or experience needed to pursue their dreams. Such beliefs are often untrue and prevent you from doing things that would make you feel fulfilled as a person.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some examples of people who succeeded at various ages:<\/p>\n\n\n\n