More than 2 million blog posts are published online every day. This content spans every topic imaginable, from academic research to entertainment news. How have we responded to this influx of information access?
Every day, I am targeted on social media for promoted posts with headlines such as "How to Develop a Passive Income" and "The Only Five Exercises Guaranteed to Improve Your Fitness." With all of this information out there, what prevents our society from transforming into an oasis of productive, healthy, and wealthy individuals?
Information alone has its limits. Correct beliefs and proper execution are critical to transforming knowledge into a desirable outcome.
The Role of Belief
While the value of getting started and taking action merits its own blog post (I'll leave that to Gary Vaynerchuk for now), it is critical not to overlook the importance of one's belief in their own ability to succeed.
In his book Self-Efficacy: The Exercise of Control, renowned psychologist Albert Bandura wrote, "People who believe they have the power to exercise some measure of control over their lives are healthier, more effective and more successful than those who lack faith in their ability to effect changes in their lives."
Bandura defined self-efficacy as "people's beliefs about their capabilities to produce designated levels of performance that exercise influence over events that affect their lives." It's the confidence in one's ability to impact change in a personally meaningful way.
How can you increase your belief in your ability to succeed? Bandura found that self-efficacy could improve with these four factors:
- Mastery Experiences
- Social Modeling
- Physical and Emotional States
- Verbal Persuasion
Mastery Experiences
Most likely, this is only part of self-efficacy that ties directly to your objective. Personal experience is the greatest teacher. You can't master the art of shooting a basketball without spending time on the basketball court. Start small, focus on the fundamentals, and aim for gradual improvement. Enjoying an early "victory" increases confidence in future successes.
Social Modeling
Especially when trying to accomplish something you've never done before, it's helpful to "stand on the shoulders of giants" and gain confidence from others. Most likely, there is someone who has already done what you would like to do. Make these people your mentors. Find someone who is similar to you. If they've done it, why can't you?
Physical and Emotional States
Whether you realize it or not, your physical and emotional status can play a key factor in how you are feeling. It is difficult to perform a physical skill at the highest level if you fail to prepare by exercising, eating, and sleeping appropriately. If is difficult to perform a mental skill at the highest level without mindfulness and focus. While you may not recognize a good physical and emotional state helping your confidence, we can all relate to times when a poor night of sleep or an upsetting incident has carried over into our performance in other areas.
Verbal Persuasion
This includes encouragement from others, whether it be a specific individual or general support from the community around you. For any given skill or goal, there are like-minded individuals who share the same interest and goal. Not only can they serve as mentors (and you can help teach them), but these individuals can serve as a support group when it's time to step outside your comfort zone. Verbal persuasion goes both ways: the people closest to you may also discourage you from taking action or diminish your confidence.
A Word of Caution
Self-efficacy is different from competency. Improving on these four factors will help you find greater confidence in your ability to make positive change. However, confidence does not always translate to performance. Correct information and the proper execution are also keys to hitting your desired outcome.