Stop underestimating yourself and succeed!

There is no denying the fact that everyone in the world so intensely desires to be successful and renowned — a pretty human and natural trait. However, success does not come that easy. It is like a mirage in human life — one of the most elusive phenomenon that has proved to be an arcane issue since the dawn of civilization.

If success is so enviable and much-sought-after ambition of everyone, an important question arises here: what is the secret of success? Or what are the ways by which one can realize the choicest dreams of one’s life?

Success depends, more than anything else, on courage and self-confidence — the qualities that are already inherent in everyone. Courage here connotes our mental strength and insight to look beyond our resources and potential. Social scientists, along with psychoanalysts, believe that low goals in life means low achievement, low goals means low success. No goals means no success in one’s life.

What makes us set low goals in our life? The answer is surprisingly simple. We set low goals in life when we assess ourselves low, or have a very low opinion of ourselves and, most importantly, when we underestimate ourselves. This is the biggest obstacle which hamstrings us and we end up demeaning ourselves, demoralizing ourselves, demotivating ourselves and ultimately ending in status quo.

What makes us set low goals in our life? The answer is surprisingly simple. We set low goals in life when we assess ourselves low, or have a very low opinion of ourselves and, most importantly, when we underestimate ourselves. This is the biggest obstacle which hamstrings us and we end up demeaning ourselves, demoralizing ourselves, demotivating ourselves and ultimately ending in status quo.

Success depends mostly on how people assess and think about themselves. Doubting and underestimating one’s potential and surrendering oneself to early defeats and failures are reckoned as the Achilles heel of successes and achievements in life. They mar our prospects and spoil the golden chances of becoming successful. They also compel us not to try for what we really wish to become in life. Overcome these self-doubts and self-defeating attitudes and you will see success waiting to embrace you.

The famous American motivational author and thinker, Norman Vincent Peale, said, “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it, you will land among the stars.” Big dreams mean great destination and great designation. Higher goals mean higher name and fame. Unfortunately many suffer from the fear of dreaming big! Thinking small is really a big hindrance to achieving greatness in life. Thinking big sets up a big momentum for embarking upon a journey to the pinnacle of success.

We need also to look at our lifestyles and religiously follow the success sagas of great people who struggled hard to ultimately achieve the great dreams in their lives. We need to read about the struggles of successful people who had to brave a string of challenges and adverse circumstances in scaling the heights of achievements which seemed virtually impossible.

Have you ever thought of how scientists succeeded in reaching the moon? How did Edmund Hilary and Tenzing Norgay succeed to scale the once insurmountable Mount Everest? How did the Chinese succeed in building the Great Wall of China — one of the great wonders of the world? How did Sunita Williams and Kalpana Chawla succeed in going to space? What was common to these exceptionally courageous and innovative men and women of the world?

Success calls for courage and determination to keep on moving ahead even if we go on failing time and again in our efforts to succeed. The path to success is not paved with roses. Those who are ambitious to achieve the much-dreamed of success in life, must first learn the art of braving the hardships and challenges on their way; only when we overcome them, can we see clearly the beautiful bouquet of the flowers of successes and laurels, awaiting us.

The simple answer is: their power of visualization. The answer lies also in their indefatigable will-power and courage in dreaming bigger and bigger with indomitable faith, without giving in to discouragement, frustration, and initial failures. So, it is clear — power of visualization, earnest desire to achieve greater laurels and the never-say-die attitude to life will bring us to the apex of success.

Visualization is the process of seeing one’s dreams take shape through one’s subtle mental eyes. It is all about imagining what you really want to die for. It is all about the process of sowing in our minds the seeds of what we hanker after in our life. Most importantly, it is all about sheer imagination of living the sort of lives we yearn for, coupled with the desire of copying the lifestyles and learning the principles and ideologies of successful people. Hence, if you want to shine like a star and want to achieve the glories successful people across the globe have been blessed with, what is most essential is to dream and live the dream that is far bigger than what rest of the people nourish in their hearts.

The Chinese philosopher Confucius once said, “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” What it implies is the fact that failures are an integral part of our success. In fact, success is the outcome of a series of lessons learnt from an array of failures in the life.

Thomas Alva Edison had this to say in this regard, “Many of life’s great failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” No doubt, failures give us heartbreaking and disappointing feelings but this is a very essential stage without undergoing which there is very little chance of success in our lives.

Success calls for courage and determination to keep on moving ahead even if we go on failing time and again in our efforts to succeed. The path to success is not paved with roses. Those who are ambitious to achieve the much-dreamed of success in life, must first learn the art of braving the hardships and challenges on their way; only when we overcome them, can we see clearly the beautiful bouquet of flowers of successes and laurels, awaiting us.

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