If you believe you’re going to succeed, do you think you’re more likely to do just that?
How do you make yourself believe you’re going to be successful? What’s worked for you?
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Hey Andrew would you be so kind to share what’s on your mind. It sounds like you want to work towards something, but maybe you have analysis paralysis? I could be wrong.
To answer your questions: Yes, I must have confidence and if I don’t that’s okay. It can be developed through repetition.
If I’m working towards something, I take concise and measure steps that work with my own pace. Although, sometimes I do things on an impulse. It’s a combination of all of that with trial, error, repetition and etc.
I believe I can be successful by being likable and tenacious.
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yes
I have rather low self belief, so it usually requires a lot of external validation (e.g., encouragement from professors, some objective criteria that I can use to figure out where I stand)
With that said…
I mentally run through everything that could go wrong and either come up with a reason why that potential cause of failure is not an issue or brainstorm what I can do to neutralise it.
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Belief creates the motivation for action and action can create success. If you don’t believe, you won’t have the motivation to keep going when it gets tough, because why would you if you don’t believe you will succeed.
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I’ve never had much confidence in myself, but other people do, so I borrow theirs.
I’ve never much questioned whether or not I or something I was involved with would be a success. I just know that failure isn’t an option.
Like when I came home today way early from a thing I was doing my wife seemed shocked and asked me if I gave up or quit or something. I just laughed, then she realized what she said.
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This has been my experience in a lot of cases
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Close.
I worked my whole adult life in pursuit of Money, Muscles, Sex. Now I have them all in abundance.
A phrase I used when discussing this with a mentor was “I’ve been starving my whole life. Now that I’m not starving, I don’t know what kind of food I like.”
Do I want more? Yeah, but I’m no longer motivated by the stick; I have ample distance. I need to chase the carrot; I just haven’t found my carrot yet.
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Do you also have imposter syndrome?
What you’ve described sounds not dissimilar.
Yes, very much so
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Honestly, I don’t believe that your belief in success has any bearing on the outcome. A willingness to always be taking small steps towards success is more important. And to stay moving despite setbacks or temporary “failures” along the way. I think “success” can be too nebulous of a concept, too. And any day you can just change your definition so that you’re always “successful.” Success I see as some endpoint in the future, and you only have control over the now. So for example, if you’re goal is to lose 40lb by July I think the best mentality is “I am currently losing weight and hitting the target macros and calories burned today” as opposed to “I believe I’ll lose 40lb by July” or worse “I’m trying to lose some weight…”
I know vision boards and “mind over matter” are really sexy and in vogue right now and certainly perpetuated by underdog movies we love; however, I think the vast majority of true success stories are much much more mundane. It’s people that just dispassionately put in the work every day, fine tuning and the making the necessary micro-adjustments to their approach if progress stalled or regressed. But that would make for terrible cinema and definitely won’t sell any self-help books 
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I strongly dislike “gurus” who say a whole lot of nothing.
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Well. I’ve always told myself it’ll work out in the end, somehow. I don’t know how, but it will. And if it doesn’t, then I just look at a different option, different approach, or avenue and see where that takes me. Goes for anything I do.
Obviously I don’t just sit back, and think it’ll be handed to me and throw a coin into the wishing well. But I put in the neccesarry steps, the necessary effort, and I don’t overthink it past that. I trust the process, and I keep my spirits high throughout.
Self-Fullfilment I feel like is a real thing, imo. It can go either way.
As someone with limited life experience though, I also understand that this type of thinking I have can change over time, and I don’t find anything wrong with that. I’m still growing and learning
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It’s less important than discipline and process but you have to have an initial belief that what you’re taking on will be a success in order to have confidence to proceed. After that it’s all about commitment.
Things like “asking the universe” and willing an outcome with mind power alone are absurd.
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When people say they will “manifest” something I just want to kick them in the face.
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With steel toes
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Competitive bodybuilding. That is a carrot you can chase until there is no more chase in you. Not saying that it is without its drawbacks.
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I agree.
I never had much drive to excel in most things in life. I was just enjoying the ride. My dad always said I was more like the grasshopper than the ant. I suppose he was correct.
One thing I did pursue was to get the best physique I could get. It was never because I “believed” that I could accomplish my high goal, it was the pursuit. After a little dedication I felt that I was the best built guy in the gym. I am not saying that I was, just that I felt I was.
What I needed was an impartial judge. Competitive bodybuilding was the logical approach. So, not believing that I would win, I jumped all in. My first contest I was dead last. back to the drawing board. I chased that quest for 3 decades.
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Sounds like so far everything you’ve pursued has been self-focused. Have you thought about maybe an other-focused pursuit next? Maybe that’s the kick you need.
In my opinion, success lies in knowing yourself, more specifically your background, where you are coming from. We tend to inherit many behaviours/beliefs from our parents - some good, some not - which implicitly makes us who we are. Not forgetting trauma (or micro trauma).
Questioning my own behaviour, I realized this, and dealt with my past (reunited with the lonely, young boy that was I). Since then I have got rid of my inner feelings of uneasiness/stress, which is a relief. Not that my issues was of any major traumatic experience.
The future is now open, and I am comfortable in believing in myself and my decisions, which makes me a stronger leader than I ever was. It may be no coincidence I got an “over the top” promotion 6 months after clearing my issues.
Establish ways of belief in yourself and success will come as a result. So yes - Belief is essential for success! If you don’t believe you will inevitably give up or fail in the long run. In a shorter time span you will spend unneccessary energy on something you don’t want or need.
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