“How can you learn to believe in yourself?”
This is such a popular question and is central to becoming a top performer. After all, if you don’t believe in yourself, none of the tactics, techniques, frameworks and strategies will mean anything. Here are some ways you can start believing in yourself.
1. TAKE BRUTALLY SMALL STEPS WITH A LONG-TERM PERSPECTIVE.
Most of us are impatient with ourselves. we want the end results—the six-pack abs, the accolades, the things to brag about. But most people paralyzed by the end result. It’s easy to dream about running three times a week or making $500,000 each year in passive income. Some people will dream about those things but never take action. They will say things such as, “Ugh, I don’t want to freelance. That’s trading time for money.” When I hear this, I feel one of my favorite emotions: pity. Take small steps such as running once a week or earning $1,000 a month on the side while keeping your long-term goals in mind.
2. OVER-PREPARE LIKE YOU CANNOT EVEN IMAGINE.
Videotape yourself to discover any crippling error you could be making during interviews (not smiling enough), which can finally let you crack the code of interviewing. Spent time instructing yourself, take classes that will help you improve your weak areas. Hire a consultant to give you feedback. Spent some time reading your old textbooks and notes to prepare for whatever goal you have set for yourself. Exhausted? Good. Nobody said this would be easy.
3. HANDLE NAYSAYERS.
A lot of people will tell you that your ideas are stupid. It hurt, especially when I you are starting out and don’t have a lot of confidence. The best technique is to co-opt their criticism by saying, “You know what, you might be right. I have no idea if this is going to work. But I figure I have to give it a shot, right? If you were me, what would you do?” The deeper part of this is truly mastering your own personal psychology to know how to push through the tough parts. It’s the psychology that differentiates someone operating at 99 percent of their capacity from someone at 99.9 percent.
4. BE MINDFUL OF WHO YOU SURROUND YOURSELF WITH.
You may notice that a lot of B players who plateau at a certain level. The reason? The B players hang out with other B players who are satisfied with the money they made and the impact they had. The truth is, the best people in your industry know things you do not. They can open doors you cannot. They’ve mastered not only tactics but also psychological insights that you have not. It would be easy to hang out with the same old people for the rest of your life. Or you could challenge yourself and soak up everything those more experienced than you have to offer.