Self-doubt can be a motivation-killer, can stop you from moving forward to the career success you dream of achieving. Why is that, and what can you do to overcome it? Believe in yourself first!

Big Goals Require Belief and Determination

A towering skyscraper begins as a big hole in the ground. At that point, it takes a fair amount of imagination to visualize what will ultimately occupy that space.

Fortunately, the massive project has people who believe in their ability to achieve the desired outcome, including an architect who knows how to translate the vision into working plans and a construction superintendent who has the experience and expertise to turn the plans into reality “on the ground.”

Your career success requires that kind of belief and determination, but it has to start with you. Support from other people can and often will be both important and beneficial to your job search or related career management activities; but if you don’t believe in yourself first, you might have a tough time convincing those individuals it’s worthwhile to add their efforts to yours.

Along these lines, I want to share a couple of quotations about believing hard enough in something:

“The thing always happens that you really believe in; and the belief in a thing makes it happen.” (Frank Lloyd Wright, 1869-1959)

“They can conquer who believe they can.” (Virgil, 70 BC – 19 BC)

These two men were separated in time by a span of many centuries; but their conviction holds a common thread: You can accomplish huge tasks if you believe you can.

Career Success – Sometimes a Rocky Road

No one said success would be easy–or if they did, they lied!

Believe in yourself first–and put real effort behind that belief. Sometimes that means making repeated efforts. Rarely does success–career success or any other kind–come on the first try. A 1936 song by Jerome Kern embodies this concept well. Here are just some of the lyrics:

“Now nothing’s impossible, I’ve found for when my chin is on the ground,
 I pick myself up, dust myself off, and start all over again.
 Don’t lose your confidence if you slip, be grateful for a pleasant trip,
 And pick yourself up, dust off, start over again.”

The sky might well be the limit for your career success aspirations. You won’t know until you try–and keep trying, if that’s what it takes.