Ditching Doubt
I was a young Debbie-doubter about Santa Claus, driven by curiosity and the need for certainty (traits I still have today!). I remember being in church one Sunday when the priest shared thoughts on the power of belief. "When you let go of resistance and the need for certainty to let belief in the world opens to you."
The internet says belief refers to the acceptance or conviction that something is true or exists without the need for empirical evidence or proof. It is a mental attitude or state of mind that shapes and influences our thoughts, behaviors, and decisions.
My personal definition of belief: I’m the biggest influencer in my life, and when I deeply believe in my influence over me and take action from it, it’s life-changing.
But for many years, I didn’t believe it.
Riddled with self-doubt, caring what others thought of me, and thinking I had to do what was expected, I didn’t believe in myself.
I thought my self-worth was built from the accumulation of high fives and people telling me I was something.
It was a life sentence of swimming to the horizon and never arriving.
Everything changed when I started to believe in myself and in my abilities—accepting myself as I am – perfectly imperfect.
We are not taught to believe in ourselves.
I wish I learned earlier that belief doesn’t come from outside validation or circumstance. Belief is an inside job.
It's not grandstanding or being full of yourself. Or overcompensating. Or egotistical.
Belief begins with recognizing who you are, what you stand for, and what you are capable of, what you are committed to.
It’s your inner determination for you.
It means no more quitting on yourself. A refusal to break the promises you’ve broken to yourself one too many times.
Belief banishes doubt and disbelief.
The first step is to give yourself permission.
To believe that if you fall short, it’s simply a speed bump on the journey.
Believing that in pursuit of winning the game of life, the lessons learned from the ‘Fs’ are simply a part of the belief journey. Failure means nothing about your self-worth.
My clients asked me how to build belief.
Belief is built from evidence of what we've already created. Looking back at your past successes, experiences, and decisions that have produced today’s success—this is evidence to support your belief.
Most of us don't invest time to reflect. We are either full of doubt or think it's not humble.
I recently read that making time for reflection can improve future performance by 18-23%, according to a study conducted in conjunction with Harvard Business School.
Answer these questions to help you look back and reflect to find the ingredients for building belief.
The Story of Your 10s Exercise (from page 17 From Success Sake!)
✅ 10 big surprises about how you’ve handled the roughest times.
✅ 10 moments of joy: this month, this year, in your life.
✅ 10 experiences you would do again, given the chance.
✅ 10 things you learned this past year.
✅ 10 opportunities you created.
✅ 10 things you are grateful for today.
Keep in mind...
Belief, much like confidence or happiness, is not something that’s permanent. It requires thoughtful practice, like anything else important to you.
I write about belief at this time each year because, in the hustle of the season, we can get lost and overrun with all sorts of distractions and thoughts that pull us away from what’s possible.
What will you believe for you in 2024?
🌟 This is my year of BELIEF.
🌟 I believe in my power to create success.
🌟 Belief in my ability to deliver for my clients. (I posted client results HERE.)
🌟 Belief in the impact of For Success Sake! and Success Unleashed to create massive results.
🌟 Belief in what I’m building next.
P.S. I believe I help my clients develop new relationships with the thoughts that are inhibiting true success and happiness. I teach them how to:
Make decisions faster.
Tackle roadblocks without emotion.
Think to get the outcomes they want.
Digest their thoughts away from shame, blame, or criticism.
Reset when they get stuck or distracted.
Determine what’s in their control and let go of what’s not.
And what to do next based on their new definition of success.
When we work together, you learn to manage your emotions by taking action on the actions that will have a compounding impact.
The cost of inaction is high. The ROI on investing in yourself - believing in your possibilities - is life-changing.
Take the first step. Email me to schedule a time to see what’s possible for you: christina@christinalangdon.com
If you are considering working with a High-Performance Success Coach or want to know more about the components of a coaching engagement, let’s get on a coaching call. As a business coach for women entrepreneurs, Executives, and Teams, my proven engagement method is highly results driven.
The question I get most frequently is, ‘What results can I achieve?’ Here’s what one client shared:
“Coaching is by far the most ROI-positive investment you can make in yourself. Do it! Even if you go in with a specific issue or question, you will be amazed by how the process can change your thinking about who you are, your skills, and where you want to go.”
You can wait for life to no longer be hard. If you are a dreamer and a doer, let’s have a conversation.
High-performance success coaching and business coaching, and life coaching combined for massive value and impact on your life and business.
