A teacher had given her class some really difficult problems in mathematics for homework. Ramesh said, “It is useless to try to solve these problems. I know I can’t do them,” and he shut his books and put them away. Malti said, “I must solve these problems. I know I can. If others can do it, so can I.”
Malti eventually succeeded in solving the problems. Ramesh didn’t even try to solve the sums because he didn’t have enough confidence in his ability to tackle the problems.
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He can a person expect to achieve anything when he is constantly saying to himself, “I can’t do this thing,”? A person who thinks he can’t do his lessons, who decides that he can’t do his lessons, who decides that he can’t solve his problems, who is sure he can’t get through school, will never be able to do any of these things. He becomes a victim of negative thinking. He destroys his won self-confidence, self-respect and morale. His achievements will never rise higher than his weak, negative thoughts.
Contrast him with a person who always says, “I will.” No matter what obstacle he comes across, he says, “I will do this. I will be successful.” It is his constant positive thoughts which increase his confidence in himself. They give him the ability to tackle any task, no matter how difficult it seems.
The power to do anything at all depends on your faith in yourself. No mater what task you undertake, you will never master it until you think you can. You must repel negative thoughts which can rob you of this power. As long as you allow negative, destructive ideas to enter you mind, you will remain a mediocre person, perhaps even a failure. Negative thoughts are the enemies of people who want to succeed.
“Only he can who think he can.” The world makes way for determined people who have self-confidence and assurance. It is not easy to stop a man who has firm faith in his abilities and who is convinced that he can overcome any obstacle in his way.
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You can do a difficult thing only if you have a positive state of mind. If you get into a tight situation and say, “I will,” or “I can,” or I must,” you will reinforce your determination and strengthen your confidence. But if you say, “What will be, will be. It all depends no your stars,” you will not be able to overcome your obstacles. Discipline yourself to think positively.
Babar, the great Mughal king, was afraid of the dark when he was a child. One day, a playmate defied him to enter a dark cave. Babar was frightened, but he desperately wanted to prove that he was not a coward. He said to himself, “I am absolutely fearless; there is nothing to fear; God will protect me; nothing can harm me.” He entered the dark cave repeating these words to himself. He was never again afraid of the dark. He had strengthened his courage by positive thoughts. He overcame his fear by convincing himself that he was brave.
Trust yourself and think of ways and means of doing the job rather than lamenting your handicaps or pitying yourself. A person who thinks positively will achieve success and happiness. You can inspire confidence in others only if you have confidence in your own ability to achieve success in your task.
However, everybody has limitations. A person must realize what he is capable of achieving, and what is beyond his reach. A person might be aspiring to become a poet but he may be more capable of becoming a successful architect or painter or businessman. Unrealistic goals can lead of frustrations which can be avoided if a person keeps his capabilities in mind.