#31 The Power of Giving Your Best: Building Confidence and Pursuing Your Dreams

The foundation of lifelong happiness begins with being at peace with your decisions. Peace of mind comes from knowing you’ve done your very best. The guilt and uneasiness that cause average performers to doubt their self-worth often start with a minor decision to quit or not give their full effort. Once you compromise your commitment to giving your best, you begin to lose confidence in yourself.

If you doubt your decisions and your ability to accomplish tasks, you won’t have the faith in yourself to pursue your dreams. Without the ability to reach for your dreams, happiness will remain elusive. By always giving your very best, it doesn’t matter whether you win or lose—you’ll know within yourself that you’ve done everything you could. The more effort you put into giving your best, the greater your confidence will become.

As your confidence grows, so will your faith in yourself. The stronger your faith in your decisions and actions, the bolder you’ll be in pursuing your dreams. The more you attempt to experience your dreams, the happier you’ll be.

Average performers are plagued by self-doubt. They question their abilities because of the track record they’ve established with themselves. They live lives that lack the necessary risks required to grow beyond their fears and achieve their dreams. Champions, on the other hand, always give their best and consistently apply maximum effort, no matter the circumstances.

The reward for giving your all is a sense of peace, fulfillment, and pride that leads directly to a happy life.

"Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy" - Norman Vincent Peale

"Conditional happiness or unconditional happiness is a symptom of faith or lack thereof." - Charles Mui

Ask yourself: Where could I have done more but gave up? Now, forgive yourself and commit to always doing your best.

Action step: Re-commit yourself to a dream or goal that you have given up on. Write down an old goal and reignite your determination to life dream.