On Self Belief

Author

Dileep Karri
December 18, 2022

The power of self-belief is underrated. The most successful people believe in themselves obsessively.

But how do we cultivate it?

The first step to self-belief is self-awareness. Knowing what makes us tick is extremely crucial to developing self-confidence. The 16 personalities test is a good starting point to understand who we are.

The next step of self-awareness is to talk to people with whom you are close.

✅ Try to slide it in casual conversations and make notes.

🚫 Don't bring it up suddenly like a questionnaire.

Match that with the personality traits you have discovered.

As shared by Tim Urban, self-awareness brings about the right balance of self-confidence and self-doubt.

This is the sweet spot of self-belief.

A Peter Thiel quote discovered through George Mack is very important. Paraphrasing it here.

There is a positive/neutral upside to self-belief but a definite downside to self-doubt.

If you think you can score A+ in an exam, you may or may not score A+. But if you think you will score an F. You will definitely score an F.

The advice by Harry Stebbings is also top-notch.

Control your learning and rate of development and the self-belief adjusts itself.

Occasionally try things outside the comfort zone. Start with small things.

Instead of a marathon, try a little jog early morning. Embrace the win and slowly start doing more.

I love the profile brought forth by Polina Marinova on Nim Purja. He scaled 14 difficult peaks in 6 months.

Compared to the peaks conquered by Nim Purja, our challenges seem minimal.

Just go for it.

In summary, for cultivating self-belief

  • Be more self-aware.

  • Be more positive.

  • Do little things outside your comfort zone.

  • Have a learning mindset.