Facing All-Encompassing Doubt, Roger Bannister Still Broke the 4-Minute Mile. You Too Must Believe in Your Strengths. Try to be more like the legendary athlete, who believed in his ability more than anyone around him.
By Matt Mayberry •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Self-doubt is all too common in today's world. We have a terrible habit of letting our fears, our weaknesses and what happened in the past creep into the present and diminish our self-belief. It's time to kick this crippling habit we know all too well. All of the failures, mistakes and heartbreaks that we have endured in the past -- leave them there. They serve no purpose in the present unless you are looking back to see how far you've come.
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When we bring negative events from our past into the present, we cloud our ability to see what's possible and what's important in our lives. We need to learn from all of the misfortunes in our lives and use them as a never-ending vehicle of opportunity to grow. No matter how difficult it may seem, never let the doubts of life paralyze the belief that you have in yourself. If you are deliberate about this concept, your future will be limitless.
Directing your focus towards everything that went wrong over the years will do nothing but keep you stagnant. Moving forward in life personally and professionally requires you to learn from the negatives and allow these moments to be the building blocks, the solid foundation of creating a bigger future for yourself. Dwelling on all of our weaknesses and the substantial odds of achieving our goals is a sure way to fall short. We must think and do the impossible, and it all begins with self-belief.
One of my favorite examples of this is Olympian, Roger Bannister. Back in the 1950's experts thought that there was no way possible that the 4-minute mile could ever be broken. They just thought that it wasn't humanly possible. However, Roger Bannister came along and changed everyone's view on what the experts once deemed an impossible feat to accomplish.
Roger Bannister not only broke the 4-minute mile, but he created a paradigm shift for so many others, to go on to do the same. Roger Bannister didn't dwell on the experts' opinions or what everyone else was saying was impossible to do. He believed in his ability more than he doubted it. Forget what anyone says about your loftiest goals and dreams, that business you want to start or the challenges that you currently face. The only thing that truly matters is that you let your self-belief become more powerful than your self-doubt.
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I believe that we all have the seeds of greatness planted within us regardless of how hard, unfortunate or terrible we may temporarily think our life has been up to this point. Somewhere deep inside, we all have big dreams and strong desires. Things we want to accomplish, things we want to change, things we want to build, and things we want to do throughout the course of our lives.
But all so often, life has a tendency of getting in the way. Big plans end up falling through unexpectedly. The tragedy of losing a loved one strikes once again. Over time, our self-doubt begins to grow stronger than our self-belief.
This shift of believing in the negative and doubting the positive, creates an all too comfortable space and reliance on mediocrity. Settling for right where you are. Settling for less than your abilities. Settling even when it is fatal to your goals.
We are all here for a purpose. No moment in time is a waste. Instead of focusing on the mishaps and losses in your life, your fears or your weaknesses, do everything in your power to focus on the wins. Focus on your strengths. No matter how big or small they may be, get in the habit of counting your blessings every single day of your life, and direct your focus towards all of the good surrounding you.
Don't doubt the talents and abilities that were only given to you. They are exclusively yours to harness and do great things with. Do everything in your power to get your fire back. Claim your greatness and recreate your swagger. Develop and search for a deeper meaning for your life. Continually put yourself in a positive, faith-filled environment everywhere you go. Your belief must always outweigh your doubt, and you must lead with your strengths -- not your weaknesses.
Related: Do You Have Imposter Syndrome?
The message that I hope to get through to you today is that the power is already within you to create whatever life you desire for yourself no matter what you've been dealt in the past. You have the ability to make your life a masterpiece and leave a spectacular legacy that lives much longer than you do. Amp up your self-belief, and kick the self-doubt. There's no room for both.
