One of the hardest things to do in life is to believe in yourself. Many people struggle with this due to low confidence,fears, and past failures. However, it is something that we must learn to do if we want to be successful in life. In the past, I used to shy away from doing things because I didn’t believe in myself. For example: I wouldn’t apply for a job because I didn’t think I was qualified enough. And, honestly speaking, I still struggle with believing in myself. However, I am getting better at it. Each day, I’m learning more and more how to appreciate me. I’m also learning how to be proud of myself and to recognize that I have valuable things to share.
I know that we’ve all heard the saying that you should believe in yourself even if no one else does. However, due to how hackneyed that saying is, I don’t think anyone really thinks about why it is so important to believe in yourself even if no one else does. It’s important because believing in yourself is the first step towards making your dreams a reality. It makes you fearless in striving for what you want, and it instills in you a determination to do well. It makes you more confident in your abilities, and it also makes you seem more dependable to others. Overall, you’ll struggle less if you believe in yourself.
Here are five tips, that I’ve personally used, to help you believe in yourself.
- Free Yourself Of Expectations
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There’s this book I read that was really good. It’s called The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck and it’s written by Mark Manson. Throughout the book, he discusses the idea of expectations and how people limit themselves because of their expectation of being exceptional. In other words, having unnecessary expectations reduces your happiness and prevents you from tapping into your potential. This is because you have this idea of who you are and what you should be doing. This idea then weighs you down and makes you so afraid of failing and putting yourself out there – ultimately contributing to a lack of belief in yourself.
- Know And Appreciate Your Strengths And Weaknesses
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Become familiar with your strengths and weaknesses, and learn to appreciate both. There will be areas that you excel in, and there will be areas that you don’t excel in; this is normal. Therefore, while it is important to be aware of your weaknesses so you can work at them, it is also important to congratulate yourself for the things that you are good at. In other words, remember to be proud of yourself and kind to yourself. By knowing and appreciating both your strengths and weaknesses, you’ll believe in yourself and your abilities.
- Stop Being Afraid Of Making Mistakes
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The fear of making mistakes is something that prevents many of us from believing in ourselves. We’re afraid to do the wrong things. We’re afraid to say the wrong things. Moreover, we feel like people are going to judge us if we’re anything less than perfect. However, I’ve learned that this is the wrong kind of mindset to have. View your mistakes as a positive thing, not a negative thing. See them as room for growth and the opportunity to become a better person. In other words, don’t allow your mistakes to destroy your confidence. Every now and then, we are going to mess up because nobody’s perfect. And, it is okay to make mistakes, what matter is how you choose to deal with them.
- Learn To Trust Yourself
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I saw this quote on pinterest a while back. I don’t remember the exact words, but the essence of it was that by learning how to trust yourself, you’ll stop comparing yourself to others. This is because by learning how to trust yourself, you’ll become confident in your own abilities. When you become more confident in your ability to deliver, you’ll believe more in yourself. You’ll also learn not to beat yourself up if you didn’t do as well as you wanted because you know that you did your best. Therefore, not doing well all the time won’t lower your belief in yourself.
- Practice Falling In Love With Yourself
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In order to believe in yourself, you have to fall in love with yourself. Now, this doesn’t mean that you should become self-absorbed and start thinking that you are better than everyone. Rather, what it means is that you should appreciate the different things that make you you. Something that you can do is to make a list of things that you love about yourself. Whenever you’re feeling less than, go back to your list and read it aloud. You can also do affirmations everyday to restructure the way you think about yourself. The goal of this is to become more confident in yourself. While it can be so easy to encourage others, we also have to remember to encourage ourselves as well. Through daily practice, you’ll grow to believe in yourself.
Believing in yourself isn’t easy. It is something that you have to work at daily. But by freeing yourself of expectations, appreciating your strengths and weaknesses, not being afraid of making mistakes, and learning to trust and fall in love with yourself, you’ll become closer to the confidence you’ve always dreamed of having.