Essential Ingredient for Success

"Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy." - Norman Vincent Peale

There are numerous characteristics that need to be possessed in order to achieve success: positive attitude, work ethic, determination, motivation, etc. 

One key ingredient in the formula of success is confidence. Confidence is part of what fuels success and, in combination with other factors such as determination and work ethic, provides that initial success and subsequent momentum that leads to more and more success. 

Athletes are prime examples of what you can achieve with confidence. Of course they have athletic talent that's possessed by few, but part of what makes good athletes into great athletes is their confidence in their abilities. I can't remember when this was, but I remember Ray Lewis being asked about success at his age in a sport where the average career is 3 years. His response had to do with having confidence in his abilities. Without confidence his talent would mean nothing and he would be getting blocked and knocked back all game. 

Another example - this "Lin-sanity" phenomenon that is sweeping the world. Lin seized his opportunity due to the confidence he has in his abilities. There was an interview with him on ESPN the other day where he said he was going to go out and "play his game" and leave no regrets. If he didn't have confidence in his abilities he wouldn't have played his game, which means he would have taken a back seat and played like a deer in the headlights. Without that confidence there's no way Lin would have been the spark plug he has been for the team, for basketball fans all over the world, and for people that love that type of "Rudy" story. 

How confident are you in your given abilities? Why not take a page from athletes and build up your level of confidence so you can create your own success. Like I mentioned above, there are many ingredients in the formula of success. You must possess a strong work ethic and determination to overcome difficulties, but if you lack confidence in yourself the equation won't be complete, leaving you unable to seize your opportunity and build your own "Lin-sanity".

You can build confidence by increasing your knowledge of your company, products, core competencies, and competition. Preparation is like the fertilizer in the garden of success. The more knowledgeable and prepared you are the more confidence you'll have in your career field.

Another way to build confidence in yourself is to increase your knowledge in the job specific skills that you need. Everybody needs a positive attitude to achieve success so there's no reason you shouldn't be working on it - daily. Take a look at the job you do and what skills are needed to be great at it. Not sure what skills are needed? Ask your manager or somebody that's highly successful in your field. Assess your strengths and weaknesses and then get busy mastering your strengths and shoring up your weaknesses. 

I've talked about this in the past, but positive affirmations are a great way to build confidence in yourself too. Over time, if you keep telling yourself certain things they'll start to stick and actually happen. If you consistently tell yourself you are a great: communicator, leader, manager, listener, etc you will become one. But if you consistently put yourself down, such as like "Darn it, that was a stupid mistake. You're such an idiot." then you will continue to lack confidence in yourself and never fully achieve your highest potential success. 

Keep working hard and having confidence and you will one day seize that big opportunity that presents itself. Good luck to you in your own pursuit of success!