There is a fine line between believing in yourself and deluding yourself. Certainly, there is truth and power in believing in your own abilities. The alternative is a dead end.
There comes a point in life when there are no adults to ask, there is just you. Once, I was talking with a lady about this topic. She was an entrepreneur in the interior design world doing business with our glass studio in Seattle.
She told me about her father who was a manager in the world of professional baseball. At that level there is a lot of competition and the stakes are quite high. There are also people around who would conspire to take you down. She told me the reason he survived and thrived in the face of discouragement and challenges in this arena was his unshakable belief in his own abilities. She witnessed how this characteristic made all the difference in terms of his success.
You may strike out, or you may hit a home run. But without confidence, you will never get the chance to do either. To be in the game you must know what you can do and believe in yourself enough to take (and make) opportunities to do your thing – to express your talent, to provide value to others. This means taking risks. Failure is going to happen along the way. But, failure will not end you as long as you learn from it, regroup and try again!
This is why we have memories to begin with, so we can learn from the past and not repeat mistakes; and, to remember what worked and where we have succeeded to bolster our confidence and courage to move forward and re-enter the game.
The 365 Commitment requires a worthy goal and adherence to a basic framework of actions. However, it must be said, that believing in yourself, trusting yourself are important factors that should not be overlooked.
Take courage and be confident in your abilities, remember your successes and get back in the game when you have a setback. Play the game so you can and get up to bat and take your best swing!
Ben Wagner (172)
The 365 Commitment
