Believe in Yourself

November 8th, 2010

“The Future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”
Eleanor Roosevelt

I was thinking lately how we so often don’t believe in ourselves, we have this voice inside our head telling us that we can’t do it, or that we shouldn’t do it, or that people are going to think we’re crazy.

I kind of feel that way sometimes. I think it’s easier to overcome people’s judgments than it is to overcome our own self judgment or the fear we internalize. Arianna Huffington calls it the obnoxious roommate. Well sometimes I think we should tell our obnoxious roommates to can it, or just say thanks for sharing and move on anyway. Arianna Huffington certainly has an ability to silence her inner critic and rise up against adversity. She had 36 rejections for her second book and an abysmal showing in California’s 2003 gubernatorial race. Yet she rose above it all to dominate internet media with the Huffington Post and has recently published her 13th book. She is passionate about helping other women to turn down the volume on their inner critic and rise to their potential. She embraces the concept that failure is not something to be afraid of but is instead a stepping stone to success.

When you do get that voice in your head telling you that you can’t do something supersede it with a real feeling that you believe in yourself, and that you know you can do it. It’s so important to believe in yourself and trust yourself and your talents. If you want to become the best you need to actually believe that you are best, see it and you will become it. There is a quote from Thomas Edison, “If we did all the things that we are capable of doing we would literally astonish ourselves.”

And Gandhi also said, “The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the worlds’ problems.” I think the potential that is within us is limitless and largely untapped and when you think of limits you actually create them. Your potential is really entirely up to you and Emerson said that, “What lies behind you and what lies before you, pales in comparison to what lies within you.” It’s all about what lies within you and what you’re able to bring out and I think that if you really feel that you can do something you can. I have had numerous circumstances in my life where I have felt as if I’m up against a wall or that I just was not going to be able to do something but I found when you persevere and do it anyway you often really surprise yourself.

William James said, “There is one cause of human failure, and that is man’s lack of faith in his true self”. I think it’s interesting to note that you do not overcome challenges by making them smaller you overcome them by making yourself bigger. Prior to his success on Everest, Sir Edmund Hillary stated, “Mount Everest you have defeated us, but I will return and I will defeat you because you cannot get any bigger, and I can.” Live the life that you were meant to by believing in yourself and believing that anything is possible.