by Laura Camacho
Just because you don’t know how to do something doesn’t mean it can’t be done.
According to the psychological concept of “agency”, which is essentially your belief in your own abilities, you will not achieve more than you think you can. That means if you want to build your business, you have to have the belief that you can do it.
But how do you build your belief in yourself?
You do so by constructing a “belief ladder”.
The belief ladder is a goal-reaching tool I’ve used to grow my own business, with a largely inadequate background in academics, with no experience in business ownership. I teach this tool to my coaching clients to help them achieve more than they initially thought was possible.
Here’s how it works. Imagine a ladder with four rungs. Starting at the bottom, these are the beliefs you can build to take you where you want to go.
1. Believe what you want is humanly possible.
Has anyone ever done what you want to do? Is there a business model you aspire to imitate? If someone has done it, it’s proven to be humanly possible. If no one has ever achieved your goal, it’s still possible.
2. Believe you can develop the tenacity to stick to it.
If in the past you have given up on things, you may not currently have the level of tenacity needed to stick to the business plan. However, do you believe you can develop that level of persistence? Have you ever been persistent before, with a different project?
3. Believe that you can find the people to help you.
Perhaps at this moment, you don’t even know anyone who can really help you. But can you find someone who can help you? Is that possible?
4. Believe that you can learn the many micro skills to achieve that goal.
You don’t learn how to walk from reading a book, neither can a book tell you exactly the steps to build your business. But are you capable of learning them one at a time?
If you’re doubting yourself, it’s only because you’re human. Your brain is the most important asset you have to reach your goals, so invest some time in building your own belief ladder and you will be unstoppable.
Laura Camacho, MBA, PhD, PMP, is an executive coach, trainer and speaker who opened Mixonian Institute in 2009 to rid the world of boring business communication. She has created innovative training programs for local and international companies, related to leadership effectiveness, excellent feedback, growth mindset and emotional intelligence. Multilingual, Dr. Camacho’s career highlights include facilitating The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (in Spanish,) being editor of the leading management newsletter in Venezuela. For 10 years she taught communication classes at ECU and College of Charleston. www.mixonian.com
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