Do you want to know how to succeed? Here’s the first step.
In order to succeed, we must first believe that we can.
– Nikos Kazantzakis
Who is Nikos Kazantzakis?
Nikos Kazantzakis was a Greek writer and philosopher in the first half of the twentieth century. He is the author or Zorba the Greek and The Last Temptation of Christ.
How to Succeed
Many, of not most, people struggle with how to succeed. They have great ideas but never seem to be able to bring them to fruition. Why?
There can be many reasons, of course, but the first step is to believe that you can.
Logically, why would you do something if you didn’t believe that you could do it? It doesn’t make sense, but many people do just that ever day.
Self-Talk
You might start out on a project thinking consciously that you can do it, which is good.
But listen to your self-talk. What narrative is streaming through your head while you work? What story are you telling yourself?
Is it positive or negative?
Your self-talk tells you exactly what you currently believe. If it is encourages you and tells you that you’ve got this, then great. You’re well on your way.
On the other hand, if it tells you things like “I can’t do this!” and “What was I thinking?” then you don’t really believe in your ability to succeed. Your lack of real belief holds you back.
Change Your Self-Talk and Your Belief
I don’t know about you, but that voice in my head just keeps rambling on and on and refuses to quit. And it can be very negative.
What works for me is to debate with it logically. A lot of times the self-talk doesn’t really make sense and just pointing that out can fix it.
Other times it takes more work. Some people like affirmations. Acknowledge you self-talk. Yes, that is what I used to believe. Now I believe this.” and follow it up with your new, positive belief.
You just have to keep working on it every time you notice the negativity track playing in your head.
Bonus Quote
Think on this one for a minute or two.
The nonexistent is whatever we have not sufficiently desired.
– Nikos Kazantzakis
Yesterday’s quote of the day was about how to be happy.
