“Because one believes in oneself, one doesn’t try to convince others. Because one is content with oneself, one doesn’t need others’ approval. Because one accepts oneself, the whole world accepts him or her.” ― Lao Tzu
As I spent time over Thanksgiving break to reflect upon the things that I am most grateful for, I settled on the one thing that has consistently stayed with me throughout my life. This quality of mine has made a difference in everything that I have ever done, from schoolwork to sports to videogames to nonprofit organization. I am most grateful for my ability to believe in myself.
Whether this belief in myself came from past successes or from values instilled by my family members, I think of it as the single biggest factor for success in any new adventure. No matter if I am picking up a new language, learning a new sport, or starting a business, the belief I have for myself to succeed allows me to pursue any activity with a daring mind and a courageous heart.
You Are What You Believe
I would not consider myself smart by any means, but taking 14 AP classes and maintaining a 4.0 GPA throughout my high school career has taught me that academic success is certainly not purely the result of good genetics and a “natural” genius ability. It is the product of good problem solving, some level of inborn talent, and a LOT of hard work.
Whenever I meet people who label me as a “genius” or “really smart,” they always say in the same sentence, “I’m just not a good test taker,” or “I don’t have a good memory,” or “I’m just not smart.” What do all of these have in common? They all show an inherent lack of belief in themselves. Another way to say the same thing is, “I don’t believe in myself, there’s no way I can succeed in school.”
Let’s say you were trying to convince your friend to go to the gym because your friend has been out of shape his entire life and would gain a lot of confidence by building muscle. However, when you suggest the idea to him, he responds by saying, “I don’t have good genetics. I won’t be motivated enough to go consistently. I’ll just be weak for the rest of my life.” Again, lack of belief in oneself is the common theme here and it makes the difference between being willing to improve and not even trying.
So ultimately, what you believe is what you are. If you believe that you can never succeed at something, you will not put in the effort or have the motivation to try to improve. On the other hand, if you believe that you can become the best in the world, you will do everything in your ability to reach your goal and make your belief come true.
Stop Putting Yourself In A Hole
On a similar note, stop putting yourself in a hole. Once you are convinced that you can never become good at something, you will spend the rest of your life believing that you can never improve. Regardless of whether you have talent or not, not believing in yourself is the first step to guaranteed failure of your goals.
Spending my whole life excelling at math and science, I believed for the longest time that I could never be creative. I simply didn’t think I had the creative capacity that my fellow artist and designer friends had. However, embarking on this creative writing journey has taught me that creativity is a skill that can be developed and that I too can become good with enough belief.
Had I stuck with my belief that I would never be creative, I would not have had the courage to start writing or begin any creative project… ever.
It is extremely important to not dig yourself a hole before you attempt to succeed because that is the surefire way to fail.
Believe In Yourself
Time and time again, I see that the biggest difference between people who succeed and people who don’t isn’t intelligence, connections, or resources. It is the simple belief that one can achieve their dreams.
As I write this blog post, I am the only writer amongst my family and friends and I have never written creative writing beyond what was required for English class. However, I trusted that I could figure it out and improve my writing with time and here I am, writing.
Quitting tennis after playing the sport for over ten years and picking up table tennis, I had no idea what I was doing besides stroke mechanics and footwork (the translation between the two sports is not as simple as most people think). Yet I charged forward and improved significantly in the last four months, all because I knew I could be much better than I was.
Whenever I start something new, I trust that I can apply my past critical thinking and problem solving skills to figure it out quickly.
I believe in myself, and that has propelled my life forward to where it is today.
So believe in yourself. It doesn’t matter what you want to do, but you have to believe that you can succeed and that you can achieve a level others only dream of.
Final Words
The purpose of my writing is to help others improve. Whether it be time management, schoolwork, or productivity, self-improvement is the backbone of my writing. Naturally, I believe that everyone can improve, including you.
Everyone will feel uncomfortable, uncertain, or doubtful at some point in their lives. But the ones who choose to push forward anyway are the ones who won’t succumb to their doubt and ultimately succeed.
Seriously, the sky is the limit when it comes to believing in yourself. Don’t be satisfied with mediocrity even when everyone else is. Continue to push yourself and make sure to believe that you can achieve your goals.
