A lot has been said over the years about the benefits of positive self-talk.

It’s not a new concept, of course. Anyone who ever read the Watty Piper classic, “The Little Engine That Could,“ as a child has heard the benefits of believing in yourself. How can anyone forget the engine’s wonderful mantra changing from “I think I can, I think I can” to “I know I can, I know I can?”

I’m often surprised, however, at how frequently I hear people convincing themselves that they can’t do something. When faced with a new challenge, they lament that they don’t know how to do it. They stress and worry and fret that they’re going to mess up on a project. They don’t speak up in meetings because they’re afraid their ideas might get shot down.

“No one ever became successful by accident”

Don’t get caught in the negative self-talk trap. No one ever became successful by accident. The one thing that all successful people have in common, is that they try. They don’t always succeed, but they always try. They don’t look for ways to talk themselves out of things, but instead look for ways to make things work.

Believe in yourself. You’d be surprised at how often the biggest roadblock to your successes in life is the person looking back in the mirror.

“We might not be able to influence world events, but we most certainly can exert great influence in our own little parts of the universe.  We can impact our families, our friends, our coworkers, our companies, our lives.  We have an opportunity, every day, to change the odds in our favour. “

– from Win at Work: navigate the nasties, get things done and get ahead