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Have you ever heard of the term ‘self-efficacy’? It’s defined as one’s appraisal of one’s own ability to cause, to bring about, make happen; a combination of one’s self-esteem, skills and resources. I first heard about it when I worked with Lou Tice at The Pacific Institute. One of the research partners, Dr. Al Bandura, introduced me to the subject of self-efficacy and its relevance in our lives when it comes to succeeding.

The reason I wanted to write about self-efficacy is because it has a direct link to our achievements and successes. You see we don’t set goals, in our lives and in our business, that we don’t believe we can bring about – cause – or make happen.

There is a technique that I learned for increasing one’s self-efficacy and now is the time to share that with you. One of the reasons many of us have NOT increased our self-efficacy is because we move through our successes too quickly – and then jump right into ‘the next thing’!

So, here is my favorite way to grow mentally so you, too, can raise your sense of confidence and self-worth.

Keep track of your successes. At the end of each day, stop for just a minute and reflect on one thing that you did today that made you happy – that you’re so proud of.
Write that down – on a bright colored index card – and be sure to put the date on the card too.
Take a few minutes to read, and re-read, what you wrote (be sure to write in positive, colorful, emotional language) – close your eyes and let it sink in. Feel the feeling.
Keep that card near your desk so that you develop the habit of doing this at the end of each day.
When the card is full – tuck it away in your Gratitude Journal (you ARE keeping one, aren’t you?????) – and start a new card – date it – and start writing.

What does this practice have to do with building your self-efficacy and confidence? It causes us to stop and wallow in our successes – that’s what. At the end of each week, pull out the card(s) and re- visit what you wrote. This is how you build internal strength and positive beliefs in you and your abilities. Then, on days when life seems to be against you – when things go wrong – when you feel like giving up or that something is too difficult – pull out all those Success Cards that you have been writing and re-visit them again.

Check out my video clip on YouTube on how to do this – http://youtu.be/8MFOUQJCVME

The reason this is such a critical exercise is because I have heard many of you talking about the fact that we are about to start the second half of this year – and many of you are feeling disillusioned with your achievements to date.

BUT STOP RIGHT THERE! I imagine you have accomplished a lot, to date – you just haven’t developed the habit of writing them down, of wallowing in the success and acknowledging what you’ve done. So, get started right now – because the second half of the year will be over before you know it.

It is not always easy being an entrepreneur – it takes courage, hard work, risks, and much more. It IS easier when you develop the internal strength and fortitude to get up each day and get back in the game. It is easier and more enjoyable when you continue to develop your self-efficacy so you can play a bigger game!

What is one success that you are most proud of this week? Please share your thoughts!