We throw around terms like “talent” or “natural ability” too often as attributes that lead to success.  We assume that ‘so-and-so’ was successful because he was born with the right stuff, or we think that we can never be as successful as someone else because we do not have the “God given ability” that they have. These thoughts are fundamentally erroneous.

Yes, we are born with certain attributes that may help us develop certain skills or abilities that can help us be successful, but there is no ‘success’ gene. We all have enormous amounts of potential. We may not be as exceptionally intelligent as others, but that intelligence can actually hold some people back in situations where you thrive. Because there is no gene for success, what is it that makes successful people so successful?

Over the years, many—and I mean a whole lot—of people have been searching for the secret possessed by high performers only to find certain small attributes that can explain part of their success, but never the whole picture. Success is elusive. It is hard to define and even harder to know if we have reached it. What we need to do is ignore the ‘hacks’ that promise success with little to no effort and start embracing success as a process. And that process starts with believing.

Why is belief the first step to success? It is because we need to first believe that we are capable of being successful. When we believe we set more challenging, yet reachable, goals. Belief strengthens our confidence, and helps us to focus. Anxiety is a state of anticipation of the future, high anxiety is a result of fear of the future—belief keeps our anxiety in check and under our control. Belief is the first step to success because it moves us forward even if we lack some skill sets.

Why do I use the word belief instead of confidence, efficacy, or a can-do mindset? The reason is that belief is the umbrella over all of these terms and many more. Belief not only influences our confidence levels, but also our motivation, anxiety, and concentration. We can have over confidence, but we can’t have over belief.

Let’s take the example of a young athlete playing football. He wants to be successful. He wants to win, but he is young and new to the sport. He has not developed many football specific skill sets. We all have been at this point in our lives, I know I have. So what does he do? He decides to believe that he can be a successful athlete. His belief begins to spark a desire to improve his technique and develop particular skills. He knows that he is not the best, but that does not matter because he knows that he can be if he practices. So he does. He is motivated and focused on the things he needs to do each day to develop. Before he knows it he is one of the most proficient players at his position on the team. He earns a starting spot on the team and is going into his first game. His anxiety increases now because the outcome of the game won’t only depend on him and his teammates, but the other team’s ability as well. However, he believes that will play well and that they can win. Instantly his anxiety becomes manageable. He plays well in the game and his team ends up winning. As the season goes on and his team wins most of their games he notices that he is able to make good decisions in the moment during the games. He has become decisive because he believes in himself and his abilities.

Would you consider that young athletes as successful? I would. He might not be Payton Manning, but at that point in his progression he is successful. I hope I’m making my point here nice and clear: we can be successful at any point of our path, and that success starts with having a deep belief in our potential, the process, and the skill sets that we need/have.

I use an athletic example because it is easiest to give in the shortest amount of time. But this principle is applicable to any area of life: our professions, hobbies, health, and personal life. To reach that point in your career you’ve alway dreamed about you need to start with the belief that it is attainable. If you want to lose 100 pounds and run an ultra-marathon (something I was actually able to do) you have to believe that you can. If you have a dream and do not believe you can reach it, you are absolutely right; you can’t reach it. But if you believe you can, who am I, or anyone else, to say what you are capable of?

In summary, belief is the first step to being successful because it will feed your motivation, increase your confidence, manage your anxiety, help you focus on the right things, make better decisions, and make up for some of the skills you may be lacking at the moment. So, start believing. It’s as simple as that.

The Fearless Mind resource center is a critical mental tool for any individual wanting to improve their performance in athletics, business, or personal achievement. Each subscriber gets over 32 individual mental training videos, access to the Mental Strength Journal, the statistics page, and The Zone, a special area with exclusive video content uploaded weekly all for only $20 a month. Click here to sign up The Fearless Mind also offers personal mental strength coaching. To inquire about getting a Fearless Mind coach to work with you personally click here: http://thefearlessmind.com/personal-coaching/

We all have a past

Each one of us has gone through good, neutral, and difficult times. Those experiences are coded into our subconscious not only as memory, but as habits and our tendency toward certain behaviors. Depending on our life we might have experienced more difficulties than others, or maybe we have had an overwhelming positive experience. No matter the past, we are all on our own life path with a specific trajectory.

Speaking generally, there are three life trajectories we can be on: a positive trajectory that is leading us on the way to who we want to become, a stagnant trajectory that keeps us the same as we are now, and a negative trajectory that is pulling us down toward a life we do not want. Despite the trajectory we are on currently we have the power to change it. The secret is not to hope that it will just happen organically.

An upward trajectory

If we are on an upward trajectory it is because we put ourselves there at some point in our life. Most of the time we do it deliberately, but it is possible to find ourselves moving upward because of the circumstances we are put in. The thing about an upward trajectory is that we can’t think that once we on it that we can relax. An upward trajectory will not naturally lead us up to the life we want. We have to work to keep it.

To keep our upward trajectory we need to keep reinforcing those things we are doing well. Focusing on what we do well optimizes the path we are on. To keep focused we need continue to set meaningful objectives that are ours and not put on us by others. Then we need a plan of what we are currently working on to stay on the upward path.

A stagnant trajectory

If we are on a steady path, not improving or getting worse, we need to we need to set some tactical goals to change our trajectory. If we don’t set the right objectives and plans we will keep our current course. It won’t just organically happen.

The definition of insanity is doing what you’ve always done and expecting a different result. We can’t expect to change by doing the same things. The fact is that we can’t change our trajectory without mental excursion, without working to change things.

A downward trajectory

If we are heading in the wrong direction, if we are focusing on the negative aspects of our past, we need to get ourselves out of that by setting new goals. When we find ourselves on a downward trajectory it is most likely because we have negative muscle memory or intelligence (what not to do) predominately in our subconscious. Because of that negative intelligence we need to set new plans and start developing new (positive) skill-sets to get us moving upward. We can’t change our trajectory from downward to upward organically by just letting “it be”. Like getting ourselves out of a stagnant path we have to work to get ourselves out of a rut.

We have control of our lives and the trajectory we are on. If we want a certain type of life we have to make it happen. We all have the power to change our path by setting the right objectives, a plan that will build the right skill sets, and by believing that we can improve. We can create the life we want for ourselves, but it all starts by having the right trajectory.

The Fearless Mind resource center is a critical mental tool for any individual wanting to improve their performance in athletics, business, or personal achievement. Each subscriber gets over 32 individual mental training videos, access to the Mental Strength Journal, the statistics page, and The Zone, a special area with exclusive video content uploaded weekly all for only $20 a month. Click here to sign up The Fearless Mind also offers personal mental strength coaching. To inquire about getting a Fearless Mind coach to work with you personally click here: http://thefearlessmind.com/personal-coaching/