Monthly Archives: February 2022

February 25, 2022 | Beatrice Aiyedusho & Emmanuel Ajah

 “The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to do it” – J.M Barrie.

Belief, as we already know, is a strong feeling of confidence that we have, most especially in ourselves. A person with belief knows their worth and value while a person with disbelief will constantly look down on themselves and settle for the lesser results when they deserve something better.

Most, if not all, humans have but one general inclination, that of doubting if they could achieve a task even before embarking on it. A student preparing for an examination may begin to doubt if he would be able to pass. But the power of belief cannot be overemphasized. Attesting to this, Theodore Roosevelt, a one-time president of America once said; ‘Believe you are there, and you are halfway there”. Since belief is instrumental in achieving any feat, it is then important to ask; How can one boost one’s belief?

First and foremost, never get intimidated, rather turn any intimidation into a challenge. Many times, we do not believe in our ability to achieve something simply because we know others who we think are superior to us. A student preparing for an examination may feel overwhelmed because other students in his class are better in certain subjects than he is. This may make his belief begin to dwindle. To boost his belief, he needs to see the intimidation as a challenge that would prepare him to study better and be a better version of himself.

In addition, one cannot just dismiss the power of belief that comes from attempting mini tasks. A footballer who doubts if he would score many football goals in a football competition may decide to first of all practice playing football matches with others. As he does this, he may eventually come to see that he has the potential to score goals. This in turn will boost or give him the confidence needed for the main match.

Be positive. The journey to success is not problem-free. Do expect to cross hurdles. When faced with a challenge, most people keep dwelling on the negative side of that challenge. Do focus on the positive part of the challenge, always realizing that each time you subdue a mountainous problem, you come off stronger.

Benjamin Franklin, An American Polymath, and Political Philosopher once said ” You can do anything you set your mind to” which means we can believe in ourselves if we want to but know that believing in yourself doesn’t mean you won’t encounter problems or challenges on your way to success, only that believing in yourself makes you strong and ready to be able to overcome them.

We look forward to your contributions and questions on the topic for the week so we can talk more about boosting on achieving success.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Beatrice and Emmanuel are post-secondary school students. They are dedicated to success in their academics and future careers. They are members of the B2SL Success Hub.

“Just as no one can be forced into belief, so no one can be forced into unbelief.” – Sigmund Freud.

If you want to get better at anything, you must work hard because success does not come by wishful thinking. You may not think you are capable enough or have the necessary skills to achieve your goals, but the good news is that you can work on improving your belief and self-confidence. The feeling of inadequacy is not peculiar to you; some of the most successful people also felt the same way, but they worked on their belief system over time even when it didn’t feel like they would succeed.

Successful people work on their mindset by speaking positively about their ability to succeed. People around you and your mind will always want to tell you that you are not good enough based on one or more failures in the past. If you believe that to be correct and keep quiet, the consequences will be negative. You will need to talk down such thoughts by sometimes speaking out loud that you are very much capable of achieving success. Don’t let anyone make you believe that you cannot understand that subject, complex topic, or a new skill.

Successful people can speak up inside and outside when unbelief creeps in because they have learned how to work on their beliefs by reading lots of books and articles like this one. You, too, can follow their step by consistently reading things like B2SL weekly blog posts and other books to help you build your confidence and stay motivated for success.

It’s imperative to note that wherever you are presently is not new under the sun. Other people have been in your shoes in the past and still went on to be successful in their different life pursuits. You can keep working on your belief by reading biographies of successful people. You can see their struggles when they were like you and how they overcame them. Studying other successful people will consistently help you fill your belief bank as their stories will always relate to your journey as they have with mine.

Like our quote rightly says, no one can force you into believing. You will need to consistently work at it yourself because it lies primarily within your power to make it work.

How have you been working on your belief? I will love to get more points from you in the comments section so others can learn from you.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Charles Adimah is an entrepreneur and the Project Manager of B2SL INITIATIVE, where he manages the vision. He is a great believer that a prosperous Nigeria is a product of successful Nigerians. You can reach him via email at charles@b2sl.org.

“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.” – Walter Disney

It is appropriate that we talk about belief as we begin the second month of this still brand-new year. Perhaps you must have made some decisions and resolutions in the first month, so believing through whatever it may take you to accomplish those goals is what will help you achieve those goals. Be assured that there is no chance, no destiny, no fate that can hinder the firm resolve of a determined soul.

Believing is the act of accepting something as truth. It is conditioning your mind to agree with the possibility of something. In the process of working on your dreams, you will incur a lot of disappointments, a lot of failures, a lot of pains, setbacks, defeat. All you need to do is continue to believe and set your eyes on what you want to achieve or be. Don’t even allow someone’s opinion of you to become your reality. The expression of belief in your dream is the only life you can give to it. You cannot accomplish any worthwhile endeavor with ease. There will undoubtedly be many reasons to stop dreaming and believing in yourself and what you can do. Still, history has proven that such moments are usually indicators of how close you have come to the manifestation of your dream. 

You might have resolved to up your grade or master a course that gives you trouble. In following through with this commitment, you may eventually find out that you don’t have good textbooks, missed some classes, or still may not understand what the teachers teach. The instinct here is usually to back out and consider an alternative. But remember, life itself does not give us what we want or need, but what we deserve. Do you have the courage to demand from life the destiny you deserve? That can only be possible if you truly believe that what you deserve must surely come to reality someday and with the required effort put in place. 

 Walter Disney lost his job for not being creative enough. However, he never stopped believing in himself and his dreams. Walter found the Walter Disney company, a multinational media conglomerate. He once said: “All the adversity I have had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me. You may not realize it, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you”. 

My dear friends, keep believing and acting on your dream. All you need is time. I hope to hear inspiring stories from you on how you handled difficult times that might’ve threatened your plan and goals for life. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Henry Ibrahim is the Content Creator at B2SL. He loves working with young people to help them discover their purpose in life. You can contact him at Ibrahim@b2sl.org.

“The thing always happens that you really believe in, and the belief in a thing makes it happen.” – Frank Lloyd Wright.

Australian female tennis star Ash Barty recently fulfilled her childhood dream when she won her third grand slam at the Australian Open. Barty said she would hit the ball against the wall every day for hours after school. She started playing tennis at the age of four and has played in many championships worldwide. At the age of 12, she was playing against adult males. Barty has won three grand slam titles at the 2019 French Open, Wimbledon 2021, and 2022 Australian Open. Barty’s success story today all started with a dream.

It isn’t easy to find anyone who became genuinely successful without a dream in any field of human endeavor. The question that should agitate your mind most is, ‘do I have a dream?’ Do I have something worthwhile to commit my time and energy to become successful? This question is not as easy to answer because we all have different strengths and abilities, and if we try to focus our strengths on our lesser capabilities, failure is not far away. The good thing about this is that dreaming is free for everyone, and you can start right away! For example, you can dream of becoming president of your country, a celebrated sportsman, famous inventor, entrepreneur, philosopher, etc. The list is endless.

Dreaming alone is not a guarantee for success. Most times, you will have many limiting beliefs and negative thoughts and opinions that will creep into your mind telling you that you cannot achieve your goals. Most of these thoughts will come from past experiences, especially in your childhood. For instance, if you grew up in an atmosphere of encouragement and support, you are more likely to have the self-confidence to try new things. But if you grew up in an atmosphere of constant criticism and a lack of opportunity to try things out, you will likely believe that you cannot succeed. It would help if you believed in your dreams.

Luckily, it is possible to challenge and overcome your doubts and succeed. You need first to agree that the things you dream about are possible even if they don’t make sense to you immediately. Usually, your mind will flash thoughts that are possible. If you want to succeed, you must believe in those dreams and start working towards them. You may see yourself creating an app to solve problems, starting a movement for the betterment of humanity, engaging in a societal cause, etc.

The year is still fresh, so it is an excellent time to re-evaluate if you have dreams in the first place and then if you believe in them at all. If you take this step, you will surely be on your way to success.

We’ll be happy to hear your comments or questions in the comments section below.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Besidone Ebule is the Project Director at B2SL, where he works to encourage personal development and build success networks. You can contact him at bessy.ebule@b2sl.org.