Ever wonder how some people seem to accomplish anything they set their minds to, while others struggle to take the first step? The secret lies in an unshakable foundation of self-belief. It’s not about being totally fearless or never facing setbacks—it's about cultivating the self-awareness to know what you can succeed at and the confidence to pursue it. Self-belief isn’t something that only a few people are anointed with at birth. It’s a skill that can be learned, practiced, and developed. In this article, we’ll uncover the transformative power of self-belief, explore how it shapes your success, and share actionable strategies to help you harness this life-changing mindset. Get ready to unlock your full potential and start achieving the goals you’ve only dreamed of!
What is self-belief and where does it come from?
Let’s first discuss what self-belief is and where it comes from. Self-belief refers to the confidence you have in your abilities to succeed. It is rooted in self-awareness—the more you understand your strengths and weaknesses, the more you can trust in your potential to achieve your goals. In other words, self-awareness is what drives your ability to improve self-belief and confidently recognize whether you can realistically succeed in a given situation.
Now, let’s zoom out and consider why self-belief is important. Self-belief encourages self-esteem, which is your perception of yourself in all areas of life: social relationships, health, career, accomplishments, and anything else of relevance that is specific to your life. Self-esteem differs from the confidence-based perception of self-belief, because it is a more encompassing judgment of an individual's entire identity. A study based on the benefits of self-esteem determined that “high self-esteem helps individuals adapt to and succeed in a variety of life domains, including having more satisfying relationships, performing better at school and work, enjoying improved mental and physical health, and refraining from antisocial behavior.” So, improving self-belief boosts success in many other areas of life.
Self-awareness, self-belief and self-esteem come from within. They are all independent from the outside world, though we use experimentation in the outside world to confirm our internal notions. In other words, we learn what our strengths are by testing them in the world around us. For example, you find out that you’re really good at a sport by playing it with others many times over—the same is true for any skill set. So as you can see, many of the tools that are helpful for self-belief (which we will cover in this article) require personal reflection. Self-awareness is mission critical because it helps you understand where you have advantages in the world due to your skills, knowledge, and experiences.
Tools to Improve Self-Belief
Now, let's dive into some tools that can help build self-belief through daily habits and bolster it at times when your self-belief feels low:
Practice positive affirmations
“I am” and “I can” affirmations help reinforce positive thinking, positive self-image, and motivation. Shifting self-talk is key in promoting self-belief. If you tell yourself that you can or cannot do something, it is then likely going to influence the effort that you put into the task—and thus, influence motivation and ability. If possible, it is helpful to say positive affirmations out loud for them to have their best effect. Saying a statement out loud forces you to then hear something positive about yourself, which makes you more likely to believe the statement.
Positive affirmations are great tools to incorporate as a practice in your daily life by following along with a guided audio or on your own. This tool can help with grounding both in a planned practice and spontaneously during a moment of low self-belief. When faced with a challenge, repeating positive affirmations on your own is a way to build up resilience and confidence in the moment. This can be a silent tool that no one around you even needs to know about! During times of low self-belief, positive affirmations help crowd out the negative thoughts that are seeking your attention. Additionally, you are giving yourself the opportunity to become aware of these negative thoughts and to make an active decision to shift out of this headspace. Here are some examples of positive affirmations to help gain practice in positive self-talk: I AM Morning Affirmations for Success and Positive Morning Affirmations for Gratitude and Abundance.
Meditate
Meditation not only promotes relaxation, but also helps with centering thoughts in order to strengthen self-belief. Since self-belief can often waver in times of high stress, taking time to prioritize your well-being can help you regain control over your thoughts and how you are treating yourself. Themes that help improve self-belief are ones that discuss self-confidence, self-love, and motivation for reaching goals. Check out these meditations that encourage breathing exercises and body awareness: Meditation to Unlock Your Full Potential! Meet Your Future Self Spirit Guide and Self Love & Self Worth Meditation | Feel Good About Yourself!
Visualize your success
Modern society values productivity, which sometimes makes it harder to sit with our thoughts rather than fill our time with tasks and to-do lists. But what if we reframe the time we spend in stillness as a way to build self-belief? And if we are building self-belief, then we are ultimately working toward success. We can think of this visualization kind of like “day dreaming.” By seeing yourself succeed in your goals and feeling the emotions tied to it, your dreams start to feel more achievable—something that you can believe you can accomplish. What does it feel like to finally receive confirmation on something that you have been working toward? What does it feel like to tell those close to you about your success? Andy Puddicombe, the co-founder of Headspace, discusses how intentional visualization is often an extension of a meditation practice. Puddicombe has supported athletes achieve success through visualization, as he states that “positive images help to relax the mind and body, which can lead to enhanced performance. And as I like to remind my athletes: in order to achieve, you must first see and believe.” For more visualization practice and examples of how this has worked for athletes, check out this Headspace article on Visualization Meditation.
While athletes are a great example, this is a practice that can work for anyone. Let’s think of someone named Emily. It is the day before Emily has a big interview, and she is making sure that all of her preparations are in order. In one scenario, Emily focuses on her doubts before the interview by thinking about all of the other candidates who might be a better fit. She brainstorms ways to avoid discussing her weaknesses. The next day, Emily walks into the interview feeling nervous and like an imposter. In a different scenario, Emily is aware of her nerves but also takes a moment to imagine what it will feel like to leave the interview being proud of her performance. She acknowledges her weaknesses, but doesn’t harp on them, instead looking for ways to own them and highlight how she is able to work around them. She focuses on why she is deserving of the position. This version of Emily walks into the interview confidently, knowing that even if this job doesn’t work out, she is deserving of a job that fulfills her and compensates her well. Which version of Emily do you think is more likely to receive the job offer? And perhaps more importantly, which version of Emily do you think is more likely to end up in a position and a company that is the right fit for her?
Celebrate yourself
As you work towards goals, there are going to be “small victories” along the way. These smaller landmarks deserve recognition, since self-belief develops as your skills and abilities are acknowledged with a positive outlook. Make sure to set realistic, achievable goals, so that you can appreciate your progress along the way and acknowledge the strengths that you demonstrated in order to get there. When asked about his success, Michael Jordan highlighted how important it was to set goals along the way—rather than only focusing on the bigger picture. In his book, I Can’t Accept Not Trying, Jordan discusses this mentality: “I set a goal of becoming a starter on the varsity. That’s what I focused on all summer. When I worked on my game, that’s what I thought about. When it happened, I set another goal, a reasonable, manageable goal that I could realistically achieve if I worked hard enough. Each time I visualized where I wanted to be, what kind of player I wanted to become.”
Like Jordan did throughout his basketball career, focus on your own “small victories” as you work towards a bigger goal. Try it now. What’s a “small win” you had today? Even something as simple as reading this article to develop your knowledge and self-belief shows that you are headed in the right direction. That behavior should be recognized and celebrated. How do you feel when you give yourself this recognition? It may seem simple—a bit like training a dog—but that’s how our brains work too! Our results in life are mostly due to habit-based behaviors, so make a habit of celebrating yourself.
Fill your inner circle with supportive relationships
Feeling supported and valued by others can help boost how we think of ourselves. A sense of belonging and community can often help us feel confident to be our authentic selves. Are the people in your life encouraging your goals? Are they accepting you for being your authentic self? While strong relationships can help boost self-belief, toxic relationships can do the opposite. When we don’t feel authentic, it’s common for feelings of social anxiety to come up. Dan Harris, the host of the 10% Happier podcast, discusses the impact of the “Fear of People’s Opinions” on social anxiety. While reevaluating your social network might feel contradictory to the common desire for social acceptance, the mindset shift that Harris encourages in this podcast episode could help as you give thought to who is in your inner circle. This also connects to the earlier discussion of how negative self-talk can be harmful. It’s not only important to focus on your inner dialogue in order to avoid negative self-talk, but to also consider the types of conversations that you are surrounded by. How do people in your closest circle talk about themselves? Do they support and encourage others? Negative dialogue can subtly influence your own mindset, making self-doubt feel more natural. Even with strong self-belief, these behaviors can start to taint our outlooks over time. For example, being surrounded by judgmental people is all but guaranteed to make you overly self-conscious, constantly worrying about what other people think of you.
There's a popular saying that “you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” This idea is supported by science, particularly through the concept of neural synchronization. Research has shown that “neuronal processes in interacting individuals has revealed that social dynamics also play an important role in neuronal rhythms.” In other words, when we engage in meaningful social interactions, our brains can become more aligned with others. For more on this, check out The Science behind ‘You Are the Average of 5 People You Spend Time With the Most," which discusses how our brains have “evolved to thrive on connections with others, which greatly impact our well-being and personal development.” Now, take a moment to reflect on your goals and the person you aspire to be—do the five people you interact with most closely align with that vision?
Reevaluating who is in your inner circle is often the hardest part of the path towards improved self-belief. But it is probably the most important. So, try to be as honest as possible with yourself about what social settings and interactions lift you up the most.
Boost your self-belief in the moment: what to do when your self-belief is low
Reflect on a time when you were proud of yourself. How did that feel? What strengths did you demonstrate in that moment?
Would you talk to a friend in the way that you are talking to yourself right now? Would you talk to your younger self like that?
What are three of my strengths that I am grateful for? Are those applicable to this moment?
How do I feel when I am doing something that I am confident in? Can I let myself feel those emotions right now?
Who am I surrounded by right now? Is there someone who I can contact or seek out that I know will support me?
Additional resources based on some of the topics in this article:
The Power of Believing in Yourself
Essentials of Self-Care in Times of Stress
