(originally published in Success Champions Magazine)
I wish I had the confidence of one of those horrible singers on American Idol. They perform their hearts out in front of Simon and the gang and are shocked when they are told that their singing doesn’t cut it. They had no idea up unto that point that their dreams would not become a reality.
They have more confidence than I do in things I KNOW I’m good at. It is a shock to them to find out that they won’t easily become the next Rhianna.
The truth is that they have all the confidence in the world but at no time did they put in the work to earn that confidence. They didn’t spend countless hours practicing, and they didn’t spend a dime on singing coaches to get better. Their belief in their ability greatly outweighs their actual abilities.
Maybe their confidence was so large because they had never failed before. They only practiced in front of their enabling mothers who believed they could do no wrong. They never were booed off the stage by a truthful audience. They didn’t lose out on record deals. They didn’t spend years singing in nightclubs in order to achieve their dreams. They didn’t risk it all.
They sang where it was comfortable, receiving all positive praise and no criticism. They assumed that they would get up in front of Simon and blow them away. They thought they would be the one person on the planet that would never fail before achieving success.
That’s not the way this works. That’s not the way any of this works!
“What does it take to be a champion? Desire, dedication, determination, concentration and the will to win.”
Patty Berg
Most of us aren’t like those American Idol singers. Most of us are painfully aware of our weaknesses and allow them to stop us from accomplishing all that we are capable of. We see our ultimate goal and feel that it is a mountain that is too steep to climb.
We are overwhelmed by what it takes to achieve the dream. We realize that in this entrepreneur world we can’t be just a jack-of-all-trades; we must be excellent at everything or the formula doesn’t work.
We compare ourselves to others and think they had it easier. We think that if we had it easier then we could succeed, too.
Remember Mark Wahlberg? Remember in the 90s his Good Vibrations? Remember the Calvin Klien ad? Remember when people were shocked when they found out that emaciated guy at the beginning of Sixth Sense was Mark Wahlberg?
Some people see his success now and think that it can just happen for everyone, but then we find out that he starts his day at 2:30am and we realize that maybe he has succeeded because of his work ethic. That maybe his success was not simply handed to him.
His daily schedule is truly insane. It’s so insane that his success makes complete sense. He is successful because he truly wanted it more than everyone else. He shows daily that he is willing to do anything and everything it takes to succeed. He didn’t just say he wanted it. It wasn’t just his mindset. He took the action. He took the risks. He sacrificed everything to achieve it.
Many gurus will tell you to focus on your inner thoughts. Focus on being positive and having a growth mindset. However, I want to suggest that if we can prove that we can do it through our actions, then our thoughts have no choice but to change.
“The most important thing in life is to stop saying ‘I wish’ and start saying ‘I will.’ Consider nothing impossible, then treat possibilities as probabilities.”
Charles Dickens
Sometimes we get consumed with our thoughts. We lead with our thoughts and if our thoughts say “no” then that’s what we believe is our reality. However, I want to suggest to let our actions be the first step. Act like a successful person does and then our thoughts have no choice but to align. Our actions create success and the small successes create confidence. Confidence builds more positive thoughts which lead to more successes.
Start by creating small but achievable goals and celebrate each success. As you achieve the small goals, make them bigger and continue even when you have failed. Overcome struggles through education, collaboration, and hiring a coach.
Your confidence will build as you achieve successes, overcome failures, and see growth. Your mindset will be focused and dedicated. Your actions will prove your thoughts, and they will combine to make you unstoppable.
You wish you could build a business that allows you to leave your day job. How will this happen? Who is your coach? What steps do you need to take? What do you have to learn?
You wish you could publish a book. When do you write? When will you finish your first draft? How will you edit and publish your book?
So, you want to be successful? That’s awesome that you want it, but what are you going to DO about it?