We all experience self doubt. Even the best of us have at one point or another, questioned their own courage. Think about it, how often have you second guessed yourself before doing something you deem dangerous?
The answer comes to; just about every single time. That is how much self talk we need to gain some much needed courage. They say that the new frontier is for the brave and that only the brave achieve greatness.
This is all well and good, until you realize that they also say that the brave die young and cowards live to fight or flee another day. Whatever the demons you are fighting in your life, there comes a time when you cannot run anymore and you have to stand your ground and face them.
When that time comes, you will need a battery of self reassuring messages to convince yourself that you are a little bit braver than you think. Here are ten of the most blatant lies we tell ourselves to face life every day. 10 Lies We Tell Ourselves Every Day To Gain Courage
Number 10. He Is Not That Big
This applies to those drunken or ‘out of your mind’ moments when you want to fight someone who is clearly bigger than you. Getting into a fight with someone twice your size is a bad idea, even for skillful fighters.
But having the training and skill to fight evens out the playing field somewhat. For a complete amateur, ‘he is not that big’, is always the beginning of the end.
Number 9. You Only Live Once
This happens when one is faced with dire prospects that do not seem favorable towards their survival.
You only live once is the universal phrase for all dare devils. Once you chant this and actually believe it, you can do a great deal. Most of the things you will be doing will be risky, but by telling yourself that you may be dead tomorrow, you give yourself that courage to take it on.
Number 8. Many Have Done It And Succeeded
As a human race, we simply refuse to believe that there is something another human being can do that we cannot as individuals. Although, the fact that someone else has achieved your intended goal only goes to show that it is achievable, what we forget to take into account often becomes the deciding factor.
Things such as: how long they prepared for the challenge, what information they had that we don’t and what they driving force was at the time. These are all crucial aspects that need to be considered if one if to achieve success.
Number 7. I Must Be Doing Something Right
The fact that you are currently alive is no way a validation for all your bad choices. We all have the natural instinct for self preservation. being alive now does not guarantee the same status tomorrow. Take time to think of all the angles before you jump into something that will risk your life.
Number 6. It’s Only Money
This is particularly said by those who go into business and get burned.
To successfully make money, you have to put a considerable amount of thought into what you intend to do. You need to study the numbers, calculate the probability of success and make the right decision based on facts, not emotions and wanton disregard for logic.
‘It’s only money’ is a fallacy. After all, you are doing it to try to make more money!
Number 5. I Couldn’t Face Myself If I Do Not Do This!
We all hold ourselves to a higher standard. We demand from ourselves more that we should. Which is a good thing, because this is the only way we can achieve greatness and go beyond our current station.
To tell yourself that you wouldn’t be able to face yourself if you did not do something that required a great deal of courage is to lie to yourself. Even if you do not go through with it, self preservation dictates that you will find a way to go on.
Number 4. People Will Talk And Laugh At Me
If there is one thing that everybody should know by now is that, people will talk. No matter what you do, no matter how much you achieve and no matter how much courage you show in the face of danger or disparity, people will talk.
There is always going to be someone who has something negative to say about you. Just as well as there is always going to be someone who wishes you fail at every turn. Stop caring what people will say and start caring what you will think of yourself for not trying.
Number 3. It Won’t Hurt As Bad As I Think It Will
This goes for both physical and emotional risks. When people weigh all the risk versus the rewards, they come to the conclusion that, failure, in any form, will not hurt as bad as they think it will. The truth of the matter is, it will hurt.
It will hurt worse than you think. No one likes to fail. Be it in business, love, life and anything else they try to achieve. Failing always hurts. But you take the lessons therein, and try to do better next time.
Number 2. I Am Better
This is a testament to how highly we regard ourselves. Everyone has an irrational sense of self worth. Although this is a good thing, it almost always leads to some loss or damage if not managed.
There is not doubt that you can become the best at whatever it is you put your mind to. What you need to know is that becoming the best takes time, training, discipline and an incredible will succeed. Simply waking up one day and deciding that you are better than everyone will not yield the results you hope it will.
You have to put in the work and time in order to be the best.
Number 1. I Can Do This
This is perhaps one of the most misleading lies that people tell themselves in life.
Although we all like to believe that we can do whatever it is we put our minds to, pragmatism shows that sometimes, what we put our minds to tend to be out of reach.
There is a reason as to why we go to school for all those years. We are meant to learn how to do things in a gradual manner. It takes some skill mastery to do anything well. If ever you have succeeded in doing something on the very first try, you were either lucky, or it wasn’t that complicated a task to begin with.
Veterans of any sport have a saying that goes, ‘beginners luck’. It essentially means that even a beginner can show signs of being good at the sport, but only for a short period. At some point, they are going to need formal training or they will fall by the wayside. At one point or another, we all have to tell ourselves little lies just to make it through the day.