Self-belief is defined as believing in who you are. In order to believe in yourself, you must trust yourself and be confident in your abilities, skills, attitudes, behaviours and appearance. People who have greater self-belief tend to be more confident about their skills and abilities in achieving any given task and have a higher sense of self-worth. They are able to counteract negative situations quite effectively and tend to be more positive in their outlook in life, living happier and more fulfilled lives.
Self-belief is, in essence, an antidote to self-doubt. Self-doubt can limit our confidence in believing that we have the necessary skills and abilities to self-actualise and realise our full potential. Self-belief is a trait which is learnt through life’s experiences; smaller achievements help to enhance our overall self-esteem, layer by layer, building our confidence and self-worth. In this article, we will explore four benefits of enhancing our self-belief.
An Optimistic Outlook on Life
The more we believe in ourselves, the more positive and optimistic we feel about ourselves and our surroundings. Research has revealed that self-belief allows people to feel happier and more content and fulfilled in their lives as they hold a more positive view about themselves as well as others. In general, they have a more positive outlook of the world. Having a more positive outlook on life helps you to see opportunities in life which help in achieving goals.
Believing that you are able to achieve your goals influences how you take advantage of arising opportunities in the environment to achieve your goals. Achieving goals in your life help you to be more fulfilled and aids in increasing your self-esteem and hence your self-belief in your skills and abilities.
A more optimistic outlook on life helps to improve health and well-being as it helps in dealing with stress and worry, reducing the effects of anxiety and depression.
Developing Greater Creativity
Research has indicated that self-belief helps in the release of serotonin hormone which helps the mind and body to relax and to think clearly. Thinking clearly helps in stimulating reasoning and problem-solving skills which help in thinking outside the box and being more creative, therefore, developing innovative solutions to complex problems.
Creative people are happier in all aspects of their lives as they are better problem-solvers; they can deal with uncertainty by adapting their thinking to arising issues.
Being More Generous
Research has linked generosity with greater health and well-being. People who are generous gain greater satisfaction and find more meaning in life. Holding a deep sense of self-belief helps people in practising generosity, through helping others they find a meaningful purpose in life.
People who practice generosity do so because it connects them to others around them. Many people donate to charity throughout the year as well as during specific times of the year. People donate gifts during Christmas, volunteer their time during Yom Kippur or make Qurbani donations during Ramadan. Still, others take up causes around the world to make the world a better place for future generations.
Motivates Our Actions
Self-belief motivates us to pursue our goals and take risks, holding a conviction that we have the ability to achieve our goals. We are able to sustain our actions until we achieve our goals. Self-belief helps us to reframe setbacks as potential learning curves as we continue to pursue our goals until they are achieved.
Self-belief is considered to be the greatest motivator and influencer of our attitudes and behaviours in our daily lives, whether it is in our home or professional lives. Self-Belief motivates us to pursue a healthy work-life balance ensuring we lead healthier, happier and more fulfilled lives.
Self-belief is a greatly undervalued trait which influences every aspect of our lives. Learning self-belief helps us in becoming masters of our destinies.
