This week we are going to focus on belief and conviction when I say belief and conviction, I mean in myself, my own abilities, my belief in God. My belief being strengthened by giving my all to everything I do and being 100% committed and dedicated, planning, and preparing for everything beforehand to the best of my ability, whether it’s entering a business meeting to close a deal or playing a round of golf on the golf course, I give everything my full heart, soul, focus and attention.
I never go into anything half-hearted, because if you do, you generally get found out. Perhaps you didn’t do your homework, you didn’t do your research or planned correctly, if not, more than likely something will go wrong. Therefore, everything you do, must be done with the full belief and conviction that you are going to give it your all, and try your best no matter what!!!
I am not sure if belief is something that you are born with or something innate in you, however I do know that some wise words that my father gave me, (who came from a working-class background), way back in my early sporting days, have since become deeply instilled and rooted in me, and I have taken these words literally, and to the extreme in my life. He used to say ‘Son to make it in this field of sport, you are going to have to work a hell of a lot harder than anyone else’ this became my whole life’s motto, and from a very young age, I believed that whatever I did I had to work harder than anyone else and give more to everything I did.
So, yes, I had belief in myself my own abilities, but if you work hard and give your all to whatever project or task you are undertaking, the results will look after themselves, and you can be content and satisfied in the knowing, that you couldn’t have done anything more.
This self-belief has also allowed me to muster up the courage and strength to keep going even in the darkest hours and lowest points of my life. Whether it was the time when my injury prevented me from pursing my dreams of becoming an international cricketer, or the time when I nearly lost everything, due to the property crash of Dubai in 2008. Yes, these were setbacks, and I was at all-time lows in my life, after all I had gone all in and invested everything I had into these projects, however when I sat back and analysed the events and reflected on them, for instance events leading up to the crash of the property market in Dubai in 2008, I had done everything right all the way from 2001 – 2007. I had taken and sought advice, I had worked hard, I had planned meticulously. Basically, I had done everything to the best of my ability, and the crash was an external factor out of my control.
What I learnt from this experience that allowed me to grow and develop further, was that rather than place all my eggs in to one basket, it would have been better, to have the risk spread out and invested in say 10 projects so that if one didn’t work, the blow wouldn’t have been as severe. So, even these low points became lessons for me, to improve and become a better planner and businessperson.
Every time you have down turns and setbacks in life, take them as opportunities for reflection and to learn from them, you will not win every battle that’s life, but it’s how you pick yourself back up, brush things off and keep going that makes and shapes you. After each defeat that I experienced, I came back stronger, and with even more belief and confidence in myself to succeed and to do even better.
Belief and conviction in yourself can be developed, as you become more aware and willing to go after your dreams, take risks (get out of your comfort zone), work hard, do everything to the best of your ability and give it your all. This belief in myself has developed over time, due to all the hard work, the planning, the long hours that I have put in, and just by the sheer fact that I never gave up.
Every successful person I know, has this confidence in themselves, therefore we are prepared to go out and take risks and do things that many people wouldn’t be prepared to do. Therefore, my advice to anyone started out, or wanting to improve their current situation, is that ‘you must believe in your own ability, be fearless, you’re going to fail, that’s life, get back up and go and achieve your dreams’, pursue everything wholeheartedly, and everything else will follow.
People will always talk and try to hold you back, they will be judgemental and try to knock you down, I feel sorry for young kids in today’s generation, there is so much negativity, you can’t do this, you can’t do that. There is NO such thing as CAN’T, everyone has the right to live their life, have their opportunity, to be able to express themselves in whatever they want to do, infact people should be encouraged and not held back.
The lessons that I am giving today, are the lessons that I also give my children now. For instance, my younger daughter has exams coming up, and I say to her that she needs to plan and prepare for her exams correctly, if she does, the exam will take care of itself. If for whatever reason she doesn’t do well she knows that she has been 100% committed, and could not have done any more, then don’t worry that’s life.
We will not win every race, but I promise if you do the above continuously, over a long period of time, you have more chance of success than other people.
Until the next post, and to your success, as always.
AD