If you do an internet search on the topic “believe in yourself,” you may quickly feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of available advice.
From what to do to what not to do to how and when to do it, you could easily spend a lifetime studying up on self-belief without taking a single step in that direction.
In this post, learn three essential tips to cut through a lifetime of self-doubt and emerge with a plan to believe in you this year!
Tip 1: Connect with inspiring others.
Isn’t it true that the people who most inspire you are often the same people who tell the most vivid stories of self-doubt?
Take Lularoe founder DeAnne Stidham, for example. Today she is the founder of a successful boutique clothing label that specializes in various types of women clothing ranging from a maxi dress to a-line skirts and has a network of independent consultants sharing her designs all over the world.
But would you believe she was once a single mom to seven, living paycheck to paycheck and struggling daily with self-doubt?
In fact, it isn’t too common to find someone who was born believing in themselves. This world and popular culture just don’t do a good job of promoting self-worth. Self-doubt is seen as a more productive way to sell products and services, most of which are designed to shore up that self-doubt.
DeAnne Stidman not only tackled her self-doubt by starting her company, but she also chose to create a clothing line to help other women feel better about their bodies, themselves, their place in the world and their lives.
In doing so, she chose to associate herself with other strong, inspiring, independent women doing good things around the world – and this choice changed her life for the better.
Tip 2: Make a choice FOR you.
When you really analyze quality of life, so much of it boils down to simple choices. Regardless of what you may think, how you feel about yourself is one of those choices.
Other people may say discouraging things to you about your dreams, your past or your future. These people may love you and worry about you or they may be jealous of you and want to keep you down.
But it really doesn’t matter what other people say to you. It only matters what YOU say to you.
In other words, you can’t change others or choose what they say to you. But you can change the company you keep, distance yourself from critics and change your own self-talk to focus on your strengths and what you can do.
Tip 3: Write down your goals.
As reported in The Huffington Post, a recent university study highlighted that people who write down their goals are 42 percent more likely to achieve them than people who don’t write down their goals.
Writing down goals is one way to feel better about being you. But nothing feels as great as achieving your own written goals.
If you feel down on yourself today, you can’t expect to suddenly wake up tomorrow and feel like you can conquer the world. This may happen, but more likely it is a process that will unfold a little at a time, day by day by day.
The more determined you are to begin to believe in yourself and take steps to act on that self-belief, the more quickly you will reap the rewards of this practice. By choosing to keep company with others who inspire you and striving to follow their example, you can look forward to meeting a new and self-confident you very soon!