You know how there are phrases that we either say to ourselves or have heard our team members say and most of the time we do not realise the importance of them? One such phrase is…
“If only I had more self-belief then…”
Following that phrase could be a plethora of different stories of things people want, need or would rather avoid.
What I would like to suggest is that we don’t require more self-belief as we all have that. We all have beliefs about our “self”. What we need is to change the actual beliefs about the perceptions of ourselves.
If we believe that we cannot change careers, then that will be true for us.
If we believe that we could not achieve a senior position in our organisation because of our age, sex, or ability to persuade a naive manager, then that will be true for us.
If we believe we don’t have time to setup an additional revenue stream to protect against future potential issues such as our dire pension income; job insecurity; or possible illness of ourselves or family members, then that will be true for us.
So what is a belief?
One definition could be that it is merely a feeling of certainty.
Can I change my beliefs?
Having studied the area of professional development and coached and mentored a number of people over the years then this is an interesting question to answer. Many of us have a belief that others can change, because they have seen it, but they personally could not. Or it would be very difficult if they did try with some professional help.
It is fascinating how a few people seem to have learnt (usually unintentionally) how to clarify why they want what they want, acknowledge the fear associated with the unknown and yet still take action.
As we all know the old saying that a statue has never been built in honour of a critic. Only those men and women that decided that they needed to change the world around them and decided to do something about it have been remembered.
Motivation is not enough as it has usually gone once we have gone to sleep and woken the next day.
Confidence grows by learning a relevant skill and then reinforcing that learning by repetition. Do this consistently and then we start to surprise ourselves of what is possible.
We will all have had experiences of the first time we did something. Whether it was speaking publicly in front of a group of people and sweating buckets; chairing a meeting for the first time; or getting our first sale.
So it is such a shame when so many of us forget these times and do not realise that our current achievements were at one time “impossible hurdles”. And now what appear to be “impossible hurdles” could be achievements in the not too distant future. If only we got just a little more “comfortable being uncomfortable”.
It has been said the best way to develop a new skill is to start learning it yourself then share by teaching someone else.
So what self-beliefs do you have about what you could achieve in the next six months, three years and seven years? What would make you and your organisation PROUD? Who would you have to become and what would you have to believe about yourself?
Matthew Broomhead
“Raising the level of Business Skills in Britain”
Creator of Broomhead Business Channel