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Leadership Thought #395 – First, You Have to Believe in Yourself

August 3, 2012

Leadership Thought #395 – First, You Have to Believe in Yourself

Table of Contents

You must believe in yourself to become the hero of your life journey.

Over the years, I have met many talented people who struggle with self-confidence and low self-esteem. I don’t know if it’s their upbringing or other environmental factors, but it’s often surprising and sad. I have also seen the flip side of this issue, where people with too much self-confidence put themselves in positions they have no business being in. Unfortunately, the most capable or well-intentioned people do not always assume leadership roles. The leadership void will get filled one way or another.

Obviously, a leader needs to be competent. We understand they should possess the knowledge and experience necessary to make well-informed and wise decisions. Everyone close to the situation can usually see it when you are in over your head. You can only fake competence for so long without it catching up with you. The good news is that you can usually learn the necessary skills with effort and help from others (if your ego doesn’t get in the way).

Believing in yourself is a much trickier issue. Low self-confidence often hinders your ability to communicate effectively, manage conflict, take risks, motivate others, and trust your judgment. You must be able to do all these things if you want to lead people and run an organization. Furthermore, people who lack self-belief often settle for mediocrity in their lives, believing they deserve what they receive instead of pursuing their own desires. If they aren’t careful, they’ll let the wrong people into their lives, who will exploit their vulnerabilities.

If you are struggling with low levels of self-belief and self-confidence, I highly encourage you to seek professional guidance to help you fully understand why and work on it. I also encourage you to focus on things you can more easily control in your life, like saving a little more money, practicing better work habits, watching what you eat, exercising more, and improving how you dress and present yourself. If you feel healthier and better about yourself, working through the more profound issues hindering your growth and development will be easier. I also recommend that you take a step back and think about your closest relationships and whether they suit you and your goals. The goal should be for you to operate from a place that empowers rather than disempowers you.

To be happy and successful, you must first believe in yourself and your ability to achieve it. You also need to feel you deserve it when it happens.

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