THE ULTIMATE MOTIVATOR
IF you want better results in your life, it’s quite literally in your hands! I mean, the goodwill and patronage of other people will help to some extent but it’s really your own actions that’ll determine the results that life gives you.
And, your actions are always based on your beliefs. It is the ultimate motivator.
I know of Malaysians who are adamant that they’ll catch a cold if they get slightly wet in the rain (like my father)!
They strongly believe this, and it always happens. However, I have found it fascinating that football players in Manchester and Liverpool, where it rains incessantly, seem to be perfectly immune to this syndrome.
There are numerous studies on the placebo effect — a substance containing no medication but given to reinforce a patient’s belief and expectation that they’ll get well.
A 2003 study published by the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI) at Oxford University claims that up to 35 per cent of cancer patients with a wide variety of disorders respond to placebos.
There is no medicinal value in these placebos, it’s just their belief that the “drug” is working.
Research shows that the placebo effect is not deception or a fluke. Instead, it is a product of expectation. The human brain anticipates a certain outcome and because that belief is so strong, the desired outcome is produced.
You must have belief, too, to succeed at the workplace.
Self-belief is critical. People with self-belief are confident and competent. They have sureness in their ability. And, those with high self-belief also encourage confidence in others.
As you raise your skills and gain expertise in any given field, you gain confidence. And as you sense that you are getting competent at what you do, your confidence naturally increases.
Competence and confidence are inextricably linked. It’s a cyclical relationship. And finally, it comes down to the way you think and how you shape your mindset that acts as a catalyst for both.
Being able to generally maintain a positive disposition even in adversity and going on to achieve results serve to increase both your skills and self-confidence.
The key to developing a strong self-belief is knowing that the end results that you want are possible.
A few years ago, I was fortunate enough to be introduced to David Rocco, the world-renowned celebrity chef, best-selling author, and host of several internationally syndicated television series.
I don’t know exactly why, but we developed a deep friendship that has lasted the test of time. It’s the kind of relationship that allows us to randomly call the other at midnight, regardless of the time zones.
Perhaps, we share a similar outlook for life and that’s why we hit it off.
At the beginning of 2019, when Rocco visited Malaysia and we chatted over a banana leaf meal, he mooted the idea of doing a new TV series called “David Rocco’s Dolce Southeast Asia”.
Being a foodie, it was exciting news and, of course, I encouraged him to showcase our region.
He returned to Canada and in a few phone conversations over the next month, he told me he hadn’t yet got the network he was with to sign off on the project. However, he reassured me he was still committed to the idea.
Eventually, three months after our initial conversation, without an agreement with any network (i.e., no guarantee of syndication), Rocco showed up in Malaysia again with a crew of four and proceeded to make this series with his own dime. He had also made numerous connections with local celebrities and food guides.
As an entrepreneur, I was curious about how he had this selfconfidence that his new series would be eventually picked up by networks.
Rocco then told me about his very first television series more than 20 years ago.
Despite having no track record nor promise of a purchaser, he simply packed his bags with his wife Nina and headed to Italy to make a series.
He was neither an expert movie maker nor had the backing of a network. But he had the self-belief. That had always been his way.
Rocco’s Dolce Southeast Asia made its debut in our region on the National Geographic channel in September last year to rave reviews. And, there was no doubt that it was his own self-belief that made it happen.
When you approach a goal at the workplace with “disbelief”, you will be anxious and your thinking gets clouded. Naturally, finding solutions also becomes less probable when you feel this way.
Alternatively, when you approach a goal or a problem at work with self-belief, you are able to think clearly. This clarity stimulates creativity.
If you start comparing yourself to others, you will sabotage your own self-belief. Instead, be a lifelong learner and continuously aim to better yourself.
Focus on your self-efficacy, which is your belief in your capacity to execute what is necessary to produce specific results.
Be like Rocco; be full of selfbelief, and see your value increase.
Being able to generally maintain a positive disposition even in adversity and going on to achieve results serve to increase both your skills and self-confidence.