If you believe you can, you probably can. If you believe you won’t, you most assuredly won’t. Belief is the ignition switch that gets you off the launching pad.
Denis Waitley
MEANING OF THIS QUOTE
Belief is the foundation of every endeavor. It is not as if simply believing in yourself without a concrete action plan or the necessary hard work will get you to your goals. However, it is the ignition switch that gets you going and gives you a solid platform to build on. Besides, self-belief doesn’t help only at the start of a new project. In fact, whenever the road ahead gets bumpy and our dreams seem farther out of sight, it is this belief in our abilities that keeps us going. On the other hand, a person without any faith in themselves are bound to struggle when the going gets tough.
CAN SELF-BELIEF MAKE UP FOR A LACK OF SKILL?
Not really. Your self-belief and skill-set are complementary. What belief can do is give you the confidence to start out with whatever shortcomings you might have and then work on them along the way. In times as competitive as ours, backing yourself to make it big in life is as important as having the necessary abilities to do so. Simply believing in yourself with no real skills to show for it or having zero confidence in your otherwise outstanding abilities can do you no good.
CONCLUSION
Self-belief is akin to cheering for yourself when no one else does; it is you standing up for your dreams when no one else does. While simply believing in yourself may not get you anywhere, you will definitely not get very far without it.
Denis Waitley is an American motivational speaker and writer. Waitley has earned critical acclaim for books like Seeds of Greatness and The Winner’s Edge. He is also known for his motivational thoughts, one of which goes as follows: “If you believe you can, you probably can. If you believe you won’t, you most assuredly won’t. Belief is the ignition switch that gets you off the launching pad.”