The Importance of Self-Efficacy and How To Create More of It

I’ve got a throwback for you – and one that you’re going to love.
 
It is all about SELF-EFFICACY, which is basically your success barometer. It’s a trait that can predict how successful you will be!
 
What makes it even more awesome is that you can build and develop it in a short period of time. It’s almost like a superpower.

Self-efficacy is basically a fancy term for what happens in the children’s story, “The Little Engine That Could.” 
 
Do you remember it? 
 
It’s about a train that had to climb a big hill … and at first it wasn’t so sure it was possible. 
 
It chanted, “I think I can, I think I can,”… which turned into “I know I can, I know I can,”… and eventually it pulled itself to the top of the hill.
 
Self-efficacy – the engine’s belief in itself that it could do hard things – is what powered that train up the mountain!

"Self-efficacy refers to an individual's belief in his or her capacity to execute behaviors necessary to produce specific performance attainments (Bandura, 1977, 1986, 1997).  Self-efficacy reflects confidence in the ability to exert control over one's own motivation, behavior, and social environment."  Reference

​In a nutshell, self-efficacy is like self-confidence at the next level. ​

​It’s the KNOWING that you can count on yourself when the chips are down … and that you can and will do your best whenever possible.
 
When you challenge yourself and push yourself out of your comfort zone, your self-efficacy meter goes up. 
 
We teach it to kids, but it falls by the wayside as we get older. 
 
There can be so many reasons we stop flexing our “self-efficacy muscles” … time, expectations (from others and from ourselves), disappointments, and even fear!

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Over time, this can have a profound impact on your life, making it so you don’t even consider trying new things. We give up before we even start!
 
This is where the “comfort zone” comes in … and over time, that comfort zone can get smaller and smaller (and not very comfortable at all)!

So how do you work on building your self-efficacy? 

You do something that makes you uncomfortable.
 
It doesn’t mean going bungee jumping or signing up for a marathon. 
 
It can be as simple (and as powerful) as deciding you are going to stick with a program for a month …
 
… and then following through with it, NO MATTER WHAT.
 
Even on days you don’t want to. Even if you’re tired or busy.
 
Especially when you’re tired and busy. 
 
There is a huge payoff in all of this. 
 
You realize everything you’re capable of!
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In the words of writer A.A. Milne in Winnie The Pooh, you learn:
​
“You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”  –– Christopher Robin.

​I KNOW you can do whatever you put your mind to. But do YOU know it? 
 
All you have to do is decide … and then just do it! 
 
You’ve got this.