Christmas Speech

Lack of Self-Belief

Lack of belief in one’s own abilities is also a common problem in goal setting. Let’s face it; if you really

believed you could achieve your goal, you probably would have done it already! (Unless your goal is a

brand new one, of course. But most people set the same goals multiple times before they actually

achieve them.) How can you tell if you don’t have a strong belief in yourself? Probably the most telling

clue is that you’ll hesitate when it comes to taking risks. You may find yourself holding back on

something you really want to do, or you might procrastinate on taking the action steps

needed to achieve your goals. In order to achieve any goal, you first need to believe you CAN. This

involves much more than hoping or wishing – it requires an unshakable core belief in your own ability to

work through challenges, stay committed and do whatever it takes to be successful. But how do you

build such a belief? Most of us are not born with this level of confidence; we have to build it little by

little. The Remedy: Ironically, the most effective way to build a solid belief in yourself and

your capabilities is to simply . . . TAKE ACTION. The more you do something, the more confident you’ll

become with it, right? It’s just like anything else in life. The first time you drove a car you

were probably shaky and nervous. The first time you gave a speech you were probably standing in a

puddle of sweat. It’s the old “fight or flight” response to a perceived threat – and it’s completely \

normal! It’s your mind’s way of telling your body that it may be entering a dangerous situation. But if

you can keep pushing through that fear, it will eventually go away because you’ll condition yourself to

believe that there is truly nothing to fear. You may also find it helpful to recite some powerful

affirmations like these: “I’ll never know for sure if I can do this until I try.”