It’s no secret that having belief in yourself is one of the most important things you can do to achieve contentment and happiness.
Belief just is. It is the foundation of consciousness. And, it is what gives rise to complex behavior and actions. A person either believes they can do something or they believe they cannot. The strength of one’s belief is one of the major factors in what determines the outcome of a situation or goal.
For example, if one believes personal relationships are hard and do not last, then invariably, one will act/behave on this belief and relationships will not last and be hard. If on the other hand, one believes relationships take work but can be very fulfilling and last a lifetime, then one acts on this belief and one does in fact have life long, meaningful relationships.
Or if one believes they can succeed in their job, then they will, vs. the person who doubts him/herself, who will, more likely than not, struggle in their job.
Below are three exercises one can practice to boost their general belief in a positive, creative direction.
- Make a list of all the things you have accomplished – be it finishing high school, college, or grad school, learning to drive, learning how to program a computer, learning to cook certain meals, playing an instrument or learning to surf, play tennis, or chess.
By writing down what you have accomplished, you begin to think about what you have done well as opposed to what you haven
’t done. Also, at the end of each day, write down 3 things you did well that day, whether it’s making a good cup of tea or coffee, having finished a work project or having sent a kind note to a friend. - The strength of one’s general belief/ faith comes in repetition. (Typically, whether we are conscious of it or not, we either tell ourselves we can or cannot do something). So by repeating a phrase such as, “I can and will succeed at whatever I plan in my mind provided it conforms to the universal laws and I commit to it”,* over and over again, it will lead to a deep assimilation. With assimilation, one begins to experience the absence of doubt, or stated differently, one experiences conviction.
*(repeating the phrase,
“I can and will succeed at whatever I plan in my mind provided it conforms to the universal laws and I commit to it, is a bit cumbersome. So you can shorten the phrase, knowing it’s full meaning, and repeat something like, “I can and I will”. - Practice deep relaxation or meditation that leads to the quieting of the mind. As the mind quiets, consciousness expands and it becomes possible to experience the essence of one’s being and perceive life in a much broader perspective.
Having a sense of your essence, and perceiving life from a broader perspective, allows you to gain an intuitive understanding of your life and what and how things can be accomplished.