What would be possible if you had total trust in your abilities and you went all in?
In health, work, relationships… it’s a powerful question, because it asks, “What am I capable of?”
It’s easy to let that question make us feel bad about ourselves. After all, who is really living with total confidence and commitment in all areas of their life? Most of us have no trouble listing all of the ways we fall short.
Instead, let’s take that question as fuel for our growth, knowing that growth is a lifelong process, and we do it in our own way — at our own pace. If the idea of growth and discovering what we’re capable of sounds exciting, then asking, “What do I need?” is a great next step.
That’s where the twin tools of confidence and commitment come in.
Confidence can be defined as intense trust in yourself and having a deep faith that you have what it takes to succeed. Commitment is your decision to do whatever it takes to succeed.
I have whatever it takes, and I’ll do whatever it takes. The word for these two superpowers: Unstoppable.
So how do we develop these?
In his work on self-efficacy, psychologist Albert Bandura lists 4 tools that, for our purposes, can be applied as:
- Creating small wins that build our belief in our abilities
- Learning about others who are doing what we want to do (if they can, so can I)
- Building a support team who believes in and encourages us
- Developing good health habits of nutrition, sleep and activity so our bodies and minds feel capable
Commitment. This one often scares us because it may feel like we have to be perfect and when (not if) we’re not, then we’ve failed. Commitment means doing whatever it takes – even when we fail. We build our willingness to go all in by getting clear on our why. What do we want, and why do we value it so much that we’re willing to do whatever it takes to get it? Think deeply about that, and write it out until you can see it and feel it.
What small win can you create today to build your trust in yourself? Who is your support person and how could they encourage you? What meaningful action can you simplify down to a size you can go all in on, starting today?