Written by: Rachel Sewell, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
If you were to look right now online in the personal development space you would see the words ‘believe to achieve’ or ‘all you need to do is believe in yourself’ plastered everywhere. Which is great, don’t get me wrong I love a good affirmation. But I see a massive issue with this. Because it excludes everyone who just can’t believe in themselves right now. Maybe they didn’t follow through in the past, are extremely self-critical or place very high expectations on themselves.
And being told to ‘just believe’ is likely to do them more harm than good. For one, they may start to believe that there is something wrong with them since everyone else is apparently capable of believing in themselves and they can’t. Secondly, it may stop them from even attempting to reach their goal. Which let’s be honest is really not the point of personal development is it?
I want you to know if you currently don’t have a drop of self-belief in you, that there is nothing wrong with you. It is completely normal to doubt yourself and still achieve your dreams and goals without it. Why? Because I did! I got back into running this year after a knee injury in 2019. And back then, there was no way in hell that I thought I would ever be back running or doing high impact exercise. But I am!
What I discovered on my journey was that while you don’t need self-belief to achieve your goals, it does make the journey a lot easier and more enjoyable. And the great news is that self-belief is just a skill that you can build and grow overtime.
Here are my tips to start building your self-belief:
Make a list of everything that you have achieved or any challenges that you have overcome (bonus points for ones that were particularly difficult and had you doubting yourself along the way).
Build trust in yourself by taking small incremental steps towards your goal. I mean really small, a lot smaller than what your ego wants (sorry ego). Don’t worry, you will get to where you want to go in time but for now, the focus is building self-trust by making sure follow-through is as easy as possible.
Focus on yourself. If you do find yourself comparing your achievements to others, gently remind yourself ‘they are just showing what’s possible for me’.
Remember don’t let self-doubt stop you from living the life that you want!
Rachel Sewell, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Rachel Sewell is a Health Coach accredited by the International and UK Health Coaches Association. She helps women approaching 50 improve their health so that they can spend less time at the doctors and more time making unforgettable memories with those they love. Rachel knows all too well some of the difficulties that women face when they age; loss of mobility and identity, which she herself experienced from her sporting injuries in 2019. Since overcoming these hurdles, Rachel is on a mission to empower other women that they can do the same. Most importantly that they can improve their health at any age and turning 50 isn’t a burden but an amazing opportunity to rediscover themselves.
