How we talk about ourselves is so much more important than we realize. Our willingness to attempt things is so driven by our belief in our ability to navigate that attempt – how likely we are to succeed, at what cost, and at what risk. And all of life’s joys and successes are borne from the attempt.
This is probably not a universal experience, but it’s certainly common enough for many: You’re playing a team sport and someone on your team has the ball. You have a clear path to score if you get it, so you shout “I’m open!” Sometimes you get passed to, and sometimes you get passed over. The deciding factor is how convincing you were to your teammate about your ability to score – and that is driven, at least in part, by how confident you were in that fact.
In life, we’re constantly shouting “I’m open!” to people all around us. We ask for people’s faith in us all the time – to employ us, to date us, to buy from us, to vote for us. Very few dreams can be realized in a vacuum.
Communication skill matters. But that’s the steering – the engine is your belief in what you’re communicating. Motive power without steering will at least get you somewhere; you should learn to steer, but at least you’re moving. Steering without movement is pointless. The self-belief must come first.
You must always believe that you’re open – that given the chance, you’ll score. You must have the conviction to even take the shot and inspire confidence in others to pass to you. None of that works if you tell yourself that you’re closed.
The Opportunity Machine 