The more I'm around it, the more I realize that belief is a choice, not something we innately have, but a way in which we choose to see the world and our place in it.
I have struggled with self-belief in periods, for sure.
I would, in the past, see someone succeed at a game I was playing and see it as validation that victory is just not for me.
Now, I see it as proof that if one can do it, anyone can. And it is. I have friends who've succeeded fantastically in the realms of professional sports, business, family life, health, and nearly every other area of life.
And the bare bones truth about it is there's nothing 'fantastical' about them. Each of them failed at times, the outlook looked grim in moments, but they kept working, and kept the faith.
And here's the wee caveat about belief... you may as well believe in yourself wholeheartedly, because there is no downside. Self-belief makes you work harder, longer, and reduces the chances of quitting.
In most areas of life, success is built on the back of persistent iteration. You try, fail, learn, try again. The belief is in the overall quest, not necessarily in the step. You try the step because, in the moment, it's your best chance of creating a building block to success.
If it fails, and this is where most incorrectly lose faith, it's still a building block because it teaches you something valuable about how to succeed.
All victories and failures are building blocks, and the biological advantage that is self-belief helps you build more building blocks in the direction in life you want to head.
And there's research to back this up...
Here's what 50 years of research proves: Belief changes your biology. Not your mindset. Your actual biology.
Recent studies show that what you believe about receiving treatment can explain outcomes better than the actual treatment itself. Your subjective experience matters more than objective reality. That's not philosophy. That's neuroscience.
Self Efficacy Effect.
Stanford's Albert Bandura spent decades proving something most people thought was just motivational fluff.
Self-efficacy—your belief in your ability to execute behaviors necessary to produce specific outcomes—affects whether you'll even attempt to cope with challenging situations.
People avoid what they think exceeds their abilities. They engage confidently in what they believe they can handle.
The research is clear:
Persistence: When performance falls short of goals, those with high self-confidence beliefs heighten their effort and
persistence. Those with self-doubts quickly give up.
Risk-Taking: Confident people see challenges as things to master, not threats to avoid. They recover from failure faster and attribute setbacks to lack of effort rather than lack of ability.
Success Rates: Students with higher self-efficacy beliefs show better academic motivation and achievement. The effect carries across every domain studied.
The Placebo Power
Harvard research shows placebos can be 50% as effective as real medication for pain relief. Even when people know they're taking sugar pills. The ritual of taking medicine stimulates the brain into thinking the body is being healed.
Your mind isn't just along for the ride. It's driving.
Positive emotions link to better health, longer life, and greater well-being in numerous studies. Chronic worry and hostility increase heart disease risk through raised blood pressure and vessel stiffening.
The Confidence-Performance Loop
Here's where it gets interesting.
Academic achievement and self-efficacy have a reciprocal relationship—success builds confidence, which drives more success. Each win makes the next one more likely.
It's a biological feedback loop. Success → Confidence → Better Performance → More Success.
The Mastery Method
Bandura identified mastery experiences as the most influential source of self-efficacy information. Real accomplishments beat pep talks every time.
Rewards heighten self-confidence more when contingent on performance than when offered simply for participation. Your brain tracks what you earn versus what you're given.
Why This Matters
Most people think confidence is nice to have. Research shows it's essential to have.
People with high self-esteem have more success at school and work, better relationships, improved mental and physical health, and less anti-social behavior. These benefits persist from adolescence into old age.
It's not just feeling good. It's performing better. Lasting longer. Taking bigger swings.
Your beliefs about your capabilities become your capabilities. Not through magic. Through measurable biological and behavioral changes that compound over time.
Believe you can handle it, and you'll attempt it. Attempt it, and you'll sometimes succeed. Succeed, and you'll believe you can handle more.
That's not positive thinking. That's how high performers are built.
So...
Choose belief.
Even if there's evidence to the contrary, choose to see the evidence that backs up your belief, like I mentioned at the beginning.
See the successes of others as proof that you, too, can succeed. The road to victory for everyone is difficult. The things you struggle with, they struggle with. The obstacles you face are no different - and often less than - the obstacles others have faced.
Give yourself the best chance at success in any game in life by fundamentally understanding that it's not only possible, but likely, if you stick at it long enough, learn enough, and persist.
Keep getting after it, brother.
Stay in the Arena.
Be Legendary,
Chad Howse
