Believing in Yourself is a Key Part of Success

"Yes I can!"

How difficult is it to say those three words?

"Yes I can!"

To reach your goals in business and in life, you have to believe that what you are striving for can be attainable. Not all goals are easy to attain but not believing you can reach for what you want can hinder your progress. In order to earn what you want to achieve, you have to believe in yourself and know you can tackle any obstacle that stands in the way.

In many different professions, the people working to provide safety to others, entertainment and play sports have to believe in themselves in order to do their jobs well. Doctors have to believe they can treat patients to the best of their ability in order to provide the best care and firefighters and police officers have to believe in themselves when going to save and protect others. From an entertainment and sports standpoint, theater directors have to believe they have the ability to take a script and make the best show possible for audiences to see, filmmakers have to believe they can make a great film with the tools and actors they have to work with and professional athletes have to believe in themselves to perform at the best of their abilities. Believing in yourself spreads across many different professions and success will come if you know you can reach your goals.

Another popular example of believing in oneself is looking at the life of Chris Gardner, a stockbroker whose rags to riches story was turned into the film The Pursuit of Happyness. In the early 80s, Gardner was determined to succeed as a stockbroker and believed he could make it in that industry. Gardner was working as an intern at the Dean Witter Reynolds brokerage firm and often stayed late and arrived early to make outgoing phone calls to prospective clients. Gardner's belief he could succeed helped provide him the strength he needed to show up early and stay late and he eventually earned his license and was hired as a full time employee.

If Gardner had never believed he could make it, he never would have been able to push himself to reach his goal. Gardner knew he could succeed in the business and his positive and hard working attitude towards his work helped him reach his goal. Gardner's ability to believe he could reach his goal helped provide him the strength he needed to get there.

Believe your dreams can happen and the road to reaching your goals might be tough but can be walked upon despite the obstacles. There will be times in which the path to reach your goal will not be easy but believing you can still reach your dream will help you complete the journey.

Encouragement From Pro Football Hall of Famer Floyd Little

Even if you have never watched a game of professional football in your life, anyone looking to achieve and be the best can take the advice newly enshrined Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Floyd Little said in his induction speech. Little played several seasons with the Denver Broncos in the NFL but his induction speech where he encouraged people to believe in themselves can be useful to everyone looking to achieve more in their lives.

While taking the podium on August 7, 2010 to talk about his career in professional football, Floyd Little talked how there were "naysayers" who believed he could never make it. As a way to get through, Little mentioned that taking a "Yes I can" attitude is what helped him push to becoming a better student in school (he mentioned he got thrown out at one point and struggled with his grades). Little's belief that he could do better in school helped pave the way for him to attend Syracuse University and after that, the Denver Broncos.

Throughout his speech, Little encouraged the crowd to take a "Yes I Can" attitude towards their own lives and to believe in themselves despite what the naysayers say.

Even if you have never watched a single play in a professional football game, utilizing Little's advice on taking a "Yes I Can" attitude can help you reach your goals.

Having realistic goals is great to have in your career but reaching them takes a positive attitude and a belief that you can reach them. In order to believe they are achievable, you have to believe that the goals you set can be reached. If you don't believe you can reach the goal, how are you supposed to achieve it?

Little talked about how taking a "Yes I Can" attitude towards his school work helped him achieve more in life and there is room for improvement. No matter where you are in your career, understanding this concept can help you improve your performance and reach for further goals in your career. Everyone has room for improvement and believing you can achieve more and do more can help you find the path to better success later on. Understand that believing you can perform better can help you go farther then not believing in yourself at all.

Even though naysayers can appear along the route to your success, believing you can achieve more will help you reach your goals. Many believed Little would never make it beyond high school but his belief he could achieve more helped pave a path that would lead to the NFL. There were naysayers along the way but Little's attitude that he could do better in the classroom helped me get better grades and reach college and the NFL.

Believing it can be done will help you go farther. Take the time to believe in yourself and realize that dreams can come true.