Belief and Confidence are Mindset Matters

Has it been a challenge for you to identify what you're truly passionate about or how to clearly define it?

If so, you're not alone. During our formative years, or even in the later teen years, few of us were encouraged to look inward and discover who we really were. If our curiosity was aroused, we were often ignored or told that we were being silly; we should not worry about things like that. Thus, so as not to disturb the status quo, many of us tended to go with the flow and take life on a surface level.

In my study of the topic of Mindset, I've come to appreciate that having a success mindset is fundamental to who you are and your ability to recognize your strengths and weaknesses. This way you're willing to work on your weaknesses and shore up your strengths.

What is mindset really?

Mindset Defined

Mindset is a set of beliefs that you’ve acquired or cultivated consciously or unconsciously over a period of time. These are based on your values, your culture, things you were taught or told repeatedly, whether from childhood or from a later time in life, so that they become a part of who you are.

The interesting thing about mindset is that your beliefs can be adjusted or re-programmed. 

In her research, world-renowned psychologist at Stanford University, Carol Dweck, shows the distinction between a Fixed Mindset and a Growth Mindset. Having a growth mindset is at the core of believing in yourself. Despite the influences of your cultural background, taking the time to understand and develop a growth mindset will allow you to recognize that you have the capacity to add to your basic abilities so that you become self-motivated and creative, bringing joy and accomplishment to yourself and those around you.

This is a good place to take out a sheet of paper and start doing some self-reflection and evaluation. 

• How would you rate your confidence level on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being the lowest)?
• How often do you find yourself criticizing yourself for something you did not do?
• Do you believe you’re capable of doing great things and excelling, or do you believe that others are better than you and you could “never be as good as So and So?
• Do you ever catch yourself saying to yourself, “Who am I to think I could …”?

If you answered “Yes” to any of these questions, know you’re not alone. 

It would be easy to say that successful people never think these negative thoughts. I’d venture to say that no matter how successful people are, they at times fall victim to negativity. The difference is that they do not allow these thoughts to paralyze them into inactivity. They keep going, and find help to work through these ‘downtimes.’

 Mindset Matters: Think Big Then Believe

Thinking big involves truly believing in yourself and that your dreams and goals are possible; they can come true. It means building your confidence so that you no longer feel that others can do it but you can’t. This is why thinking big requires a solid foundation of belief – in yourself, your dreams, and in the life that you truly want. But how can you do this successfully?

First, take a look around you. Are there people in your life who have demonstrated that they think big?  Despite the odds, from what many times started as just a dream, they have achieved big things in their life, or they have been able to rise above negative circumstances and succeed in one or more activities?

They are proof that thinking big and achieving big can be accomplished. Those people achieved their goal. If they did it, so can you. Why not identify some of these persons and study their life story to see what they did? Where possible, speak with them directly. These people can provide you with a roadmap that can get you from Point A to Point B.

An Exercise to Develop a Stronger Belief System

Here’s a simple exercise that can help you develop a stronger belief system. At the start of every day, pick one task and decide that you’re going to think bigger about that task. This involves asking yourself how you can perform that task better. How can you achieve a better result? What are you currently doing that can be done differently?

When you take this approach to a single task, bringing all you focus and attention to it, you will find that you actually are achieving better results. This, in turn, reinforces your belief in yourself and in the process of thinking big itself.

Mindset Matters: Grow Your Confidence

Earlier in this post I asked about your confidence level. People who succeed in life and business have another quality in common and that is confidence. This confidence is not to be confused with arrogance and being cocky.

This confidence gives them the ability to believe in what they do, and it extends further.  It also allows them to believe they can help others achieve similar results so that they are no longer focused on themselves; they know they can help others and even bring about a transformation in the lives of others.

An Exercise to Develop Greater Confidence

Start by asking yourself, in any new or uncomfortable situation, “What’s the worst that could happen?” Of those worst-case scenarios, resolve what you have control over, and let go of the rest.

Let’s say you have an opportunity to grow your business by speaking to a small group of small business owners. You’re afraid you’ll make mistakes and ‘make a fool of yourself.’ Practice! Practice! Practice. In front of a mirror, in your bathroom wherever you are and ask someone you trust to listen to your presentation and critique it for you. You may have to reach out to someone by telephone or other means of communication if there’s no one around you to support you. Do it anyway.

Next, get inside the head of someone who is confident in what you’re about to do. Walk onto that stage as if you’ve been doing it for years, and not only will you feel more confident, but you’ll be more confident. You can use the “as if” attitude in everything from creating a new product to closing a sale. Whenever you feel your confidence failing, just remember to act as if you’ve done this successfully hundreds of times.

There’s a beautiful song I love by Country Singer, Charley Pride, called “Amazing Love." In that song he sings that he can ‘hear her smiling on the phone’. Just as a smile can be transmitted and picked up over the phone, your mindset, which affects your belief in yourself and how you feel about yourself, can be picked up by others. 

Conclusion

No one wants to follow a parked car. People want to work with others who demonstrate a strong belief in themselves and are confident about what they do. When you exude confidence, others will want to follow you and work with you.

Take time to apply these strategies so you get to discover who you really are and – get to know yourself – and understand yourself better – your beliefs, motivations, and desires.

If you'd like to dive deeper into how your mindset can allow you to motivate yourself and achieve your goals, I invite you to sign up to receive the 30-day ecourse: Improve Success with Motivation and Goal Achievement.