How to Break the Belief/Unbelief Cycle

Our confidence in ourselves is often like a merry-go-round. I believe in myself…I don’t believe…I believe…I don’t… There is only one way to break the cycle.

Take action. Just do the thing, already.

This is what we know: Our beliefs drive our behavior, and our behavior creates our results. This works well when we are motivated, excited, and confident, because we take positive action and get positive results. The challenge is when we don’t believe…so we don’t act…so we don’t get the results we want.

When I first became certified as a Maxwell Leadership Team coach, I was inspired and motivated to start using the great tools I had learned. I believed I could do it! And at the height of my belief, I decided to host my first leadership mastermind group. Whoo hoo!

I didn’t invite anyone.

I didn’t announce it.

I didn’t prepare for it.

I didn’t take any action at all. Why?

Because, in spite of my excitement, my experience, and my training, I didn’t believe I could do it after all. I had never facilitated a mastermind group. I felt like an imposter, and I was being tormented by self-doubt. If I had waited until I believed in myself, I would still be waiting. Thank goodness my coach was holding me accountable, and making excuses wasn’t an option. I needed to take action.

So, I acted “as if.” What would an experienced mastermind facilitator do? They would announce the event with confidence. They would be fully prepared for the session. They would make sure people had all the information they needed to join, etc.

Even though I felt like I didn’t have a clue what to do, I could act as if I did by modeling someone who has done it. I took action, and my behavior ignited my belief that I could do it. My leadership mastermind was a success.

If you struggle with unbelief, take heart! You can still do the thing, even if you don’t believe you can do the thing. The key is to “act as if.” It’s totally fine if you don’t feel like a professional speaker. Simply act as if you are. No one has to know how you feel about it. It’s perfectly OK if you don’t feel like an exceptional manager. Act the way an exceptional manager acts. That action will bring positive results. Once you’ve done it, you’ll have the belief you need to keep on doing it.

You don’t have to be brave, you just have to act as if you are. Taking action, even a small one, gets us off the merry-go-round of belief and unbelief.