Many of us probably worry about what other people think of us more than we’d like to admit. You may have heard this before, but none of those people’s opinions matter more than your own. It’s true — we’re not just saying that to make you feel better.
We’re saying it because the way you view yourself can have a significant impact on not only your performance, but also your everyday life. This is precisely why your opinion of yourself matters so much.
A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
Your beliefs, ideas and feelings have the power to create your reality. Sure, no matter how positive you are, you can still have bad days and face challenges in your life. But there are certain times when your feelings about a situation can make a big difference.
For instance — your self-image. Confidence can have a positive impact on people’s performance. Similarly, a lack of confidence often has the opposite effect.
When you believe you’re not good enough or you’re probably going to fail at a task, you resign yourself to that expectation. Feeling down on yourself saps creativity and makes you less likely to apply yourself fully in work, school or other projects. Often, how you feel is what you become — and each time you fail, you strengthen that belief even further. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
When you have a low opinion of yourself, you start to take each failure as proof of your belief and become less likely to view your successes as significant. This only continues to lower your confidence while simultaneously affecting your behavior.
Shifting Perspective
So how do you turn everything around and improve your self-image? It can be a challenge to change the perceptions you have of yourself, especially if they’ve been a part of your identity for a long time. If you tell yourself, “I’m definitely going to fail this test,” or “There’s no way I’ll get that promotion,” uttering these words alone may increase your likelihood of failure.
Breaking this cycle might start with setting more realistic expectations. For example, “If I work hard and do my best, I have as good of a chance as anyone else.” Additionally, it may help to look at your successes more fully and acknowledge them just as you would your failures.
Accept that you’re not incapable — you’re a human with both strengths and weaknesses. You may not become a pro at everything in your life, but growing more confidence can allow you to become more competent in the areas that are most important to you.
Learning to believe in your capabilities can help increase your performance and your sense of fulfillment in what you do. With a little bit of confidence, you may find yourself living a healthier, happier life! Be positive about yourself and promote your own success.
~Here’s to Your Success!
Copyright 2019, MotivateDaily.org
