The 50th Law, Chapter 9, Push Beyond Your Limits, Self Belief
Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.
The 50th Law, Chapter 9, Push Beyond Your Limits, Self Belief
“Your sense of who are will determine you’re actions and what you end up getting in life.
If you see your reach is limited in the face of so many difficulties and that it’s best to keep your ambitions low then you will receive the little that you expect.
No one is dynamic, you must train yourself for the opposite: ask for more, aim high and believe that you are destined for something great.
Your sense of worth comes from you and you alone; never the opinion of others.”
With the rising confidence in your abilities you will take risks that will increase your chance of success.
People follow those who know where they are going – they follow leaders.
Your opinion of yourself becomes your reality. If you have doubts then no one will believe in you. If you believe in yourself others will believe in you. What you project is what people see.
The fearless approach of life begins with untying yourself from other peoples’ opinion. This isn’t as easy as it sounds, it means breaking a life–long habit of continually referring to other people when measuring your value.
Instead of focusing on the limits you have internalized you think of the potential you have for new and different behavior.
Your personality can be altered and shaped by your conscious decision to do so.
We barely understand the role willpower plays in our actions. When you raise your opinion of yourself and what you are capable of it has a decided influence on what you will do.
You will take more risks knowing that you are always able to get back on your feet. By taking those risks you increase your energy level and you find untapped reservoirs of creativity.
People are drawn to those who act boldly and their attention and faith in you will have the effect of heightening your confidence. This movement towards confidence has a self-fulfilling quality that is impossible to deny.
Moving toward self believe doesn’t mean that you completely dismiss others and their opinions. You must take constant measure of how people receive your work and use the maximum effect of their feedback. But this process must begin from a position of inner strength.
If you’re dependent on their judgments for your sense of worth then your ego will always be weak and fragile. You will have no center or sense of balance. You’ll wilt under criticisms and soar too high with any praise.
Their opinions and feedback should merely helping you shape your work not your self image.
If you make mistakes, if the public judges you negatively you have an unshakable inner core the can accept such judgments but you remain convinced of your own worth.
People from history of power and ambition often come arduous impoverished lives.
For many of us today, ambition has almost become a dirty word. We think that people who want power so badly must have psychological problems. We compare them to Richard III or Richard Nixon, – blind or reckless ambition.
A lot of this social disdain around the idea of power and ambition comes from an unconscious guilt and desire to keep other people down.
To those occupying a position of privilege this ambitiousness coming from those from below seems like something scary and threatening. If you come from relative prosperity you are more than likely tainted with some of this prejudice.
But If you see ambition as beautiful, the driving force behind all great human accomplishments you will have no guilt in raising your level of ambition as high as you want and pushing aside those who block your path.
Keys to Fearlessness
Today, our idea of freedom revolves around our ability to satisfy certain needs. We feel free if we can find the type of employment we desire, buy the things we want, engage in a variety of wide behavior as long as it does not harm others.
According to this definition, freedom is passive, given to us by our government often by not meddling in our affairs..
There is a totally different concept of liberty not granted to us by others. It is a state of mind that we must hold onto with much work and effort, it active not passive and it comes from free will.
In our day-to-day lives much of our action is not free or independent. We tend to conform to society’s behaviors and norms. We act out of habit without really questioning why we do it.
When we act with freedom we ignore any pressures to conform. We step beyond our usual routines. By asserting our will and our individuality we move on our own.
For example, let’s say we have a great kjob that pays us well and gives us the comforts we’re looking for but it’s a job we hate. It’s not satisfying, doesn’t lead us where we want to go.
Perhaps we have to deal with a difficult boss. Our fear for the future, our sense of propriety, our comfortable habits will compel us to stay on. These factors limit and confine us.
But at any minute, we could leave that job, not really sure where we are headed but confident that we can do better. In that moment we have exercised free will.
It initiates from our own deepest needs. Once we leave we must rise to the challenge and continue to take more independent actions.
Free action has a momentum of it’s own.
People will argue that this freedom is an illusion, that we are products of our environment. In the end that philosophy wants to deny the essential freedom we all possess, the freedom to make a decision independent of outside forces. It wants to diminish individuality.
The implication is that we are products of a social process.
Just know that at any time you can kick this philosophy into the trash can by doing something totally unexpected or irrational, something totally contrary to what you have done in the past.
An act NOT possibly explained by your upbringing or nervous system. What prevents you from taking such action is your own fears.
You are free to move beyond ANY limits that others have set for you, to recreate yourself as thoroughly as you wish.
People will constantly attack you in life; one of their main weapons will be to instill new doubts about yourself, you’re worth, your abilities, your potential.
They will often disguise this is their objective opinion but invariably it has a different purpose, they want you to continue to conform
In every moment of life you can defy and deny people this power.
You do so by maintaining a sense of purpose, a higher destiny you are fulfilling.
Go Do Something Awesome! Join me 🙂