Do You Believe In Yourself?

When you think about doing something different, whether it be a job, business, hobby or task what is the first thought that comes up for you? When family or friends suggest going somewhere different, doing something differently than it has been done in the past – do you jump in with both feet or drag those feet because you want to do the same thing you have always done?

Often the reasons we drag our feet is we do not believe enough in ourselves to step out and do something differently. We will come up with a variety of reasons or excuses why we do not want to just do it. Are you stuck in that rut in any area of your life? Continuous learning, doing something differently or modifying the way we do something is a way of practicing our way out of that rut. Or to be put another way “Get out of our own way.”

Do you have a hope, dream or desire about your life? What will you life look like in five years, do you know? Have you even thought about it? Many people spend more time planning their next vacation than they do the rest of their lives. Many of us who went to college or university put a lot of thought into what degree we were going to study for, then after that we simply quit planning. Allow our life to be run by chance, doing whatever it is that comes along or taking the path of least resistance. Just think if you were to plan your life like you do your vacations you could retire a millionaire.

Planning is one of the ways we can build up belief in ourselves. When we set out the plan, develop small or large action steps to take us there and then complete those steps and achieve our desired results we are also building that belief in ourselves. We did it! We got it done, accomplished the task. I will always remember when, after 10 years, I received my Diploma in Adult Education. The final push to complete the required courses was done by setting out a plan, developing daily action steps and the just doing it. Like many other adults who receive diplomas later on in life I could have come up with many reasons or excuses why I could not accomplish the task. Instead I created my plan and just did it. Now it was not always easy, but I knew what benefits I would receive once I attained the goal and that assisted me in keeping going when times were rough. Each step that took me closer to the goal also increased my belief in myself, I was accomplishing the task.
Building belief in ourselves is a life long process. If our upbringing reinforced our belief that we could do whatever we set our minds to then we likely do. Unfortunately most of us have not had that type of upbringing; as a result we have some learning to do. We must teach ourselves how to build up that belief and it starts with making the decision.

One of the most effective decisions we can make is to stop taking advice from people who are not successful. How many times have we turned to a friend, family or neighbor who is in a worse or similar situation for advice? It is like the blind leading the blind, we turn to people we are comfortable with and they are not necessarily the person who will have the information we need to improve our situation. We all make decisions on a daily basis as to whom we listening to, are we receiving good advice or information.

I have found that the best course of action is to find a mentor or coach, follow someone who has already walked the path you wish to travel. This can be done with books, CD’s, DVD’s, teleclasses, workshops or one on one or any combination of the above. The advice from one of my mentors Jim Rohn is “Get a library card”. I have taken that advice and now have cards for three different libraries, it was excellent advice and I am very glad I followed it. It could be one of the action steps that would work for you too.

Daily action steps are critical to achieving the goal/dream. When you are starting out one excellent step to take is to find an accountability partner. Someone you trust will hold you accountable to what ever actions steps you say you will take. Most people fail in life because they don’t answer to themselves, having an accountability partner is a very effective tool in making sure that it happens. Now you must be careful here in who you choose. Be sure to ask someone who will actually call you on issues, not someone who will be your “yes man”. If you would like a strong accountability partner send me an email at Carla@RetireWithCarla.com and we can set something up.

The results we achieve in our lives are our own fault; whether they are positive or negative. It is always our choice.

“Your personal philosophy is the greatest determining factor in how your life works out.” Jim Rohn