You Don’t Need to “Believe in Yourself” to Succeed

Have you ever had one of those moments where you wanted to go after something—a new job, a relationship, a big personal goal—but that little voice in your head whispered, "You’re not ready," "You don’t have what it takes," or "Who are you to think you can do this?"

Maybe you watched someone else take a leap, and instead of feeling inspired, you felt... stuck. Like you were on the sidelines of your own life, waiting for confidence to magically appear before you could move forward.

We’ve all been told that belief in ourselves is the key to success. That if we just "think positive" or "fake it till we make it," we’ll eventually build enough confidence to do the things we want to do. But what if I told you that confidence isn’t actually required? That you don’t need self-belief to succeed at all?

The Confidence Myth: Why We Get It Backwards

We’ve been sold the idea that self-belief is a prerequisite for success. That if we could just build more confidence, we’d finally take action.

But let’s break that down for a second. Think about the last time you did something new—something you weren’t totally sure you could pull off. Maybe it was speaking in front of a group, starting a new fitness routine, or making a big career decision.

At the beginning, did you feel confident? Probably not. You might have doubted yourself, hesitated, or even felt like an imposter. But here’s the thing: you did it anyway. And after doing it a few times, what happened? You started to feel more capable. You built confidence through the experience, not before it.

Confidence is a byproduct of action, not a prerequisite for it.

Commitment Over Confidence: The Real Key to Success

So if confidence isn’t required, what is?

Commitment.

Most people wait to feel ready before they commit. But commitment isn’t a feeling—it’s a decision. A choice to show up, regardless of how you feel in the moment.

Let’s say you want to run a marathon, but you don’t believe you’re a runner. If you only train on the days you feel confident, how far will you get? Not very. But if you commit—if you decide, "I’m going to show up no matter what"—then every run, every step forward, reinforces a new reality.

The same is true for anything in life. The people who succeed aren’t the ones who have unshakable self-belief from the start. They’re the ones who commit to the process, even when doubt is screaming in their ears.

What Actually Creates Confidence?

If confidence isn’t something we need upfront, where does it actually come from?

It comes from evidence. From proof.

Imagine two people navigating relationships. The first person waits until they feel completely confident and secure before opening up emotionally. They think, Once I’m sure I won’t get hurt, then I’ll be vulnerable.

The second person, on the other hand, understands that confidence in relationships doesn’t come from waiting—it comes from showing up. They express themselves even when it’s uncomfortable, they practice trust even when it feels risky, and over time, they build proof that they can handle deep connection.

Who do you think develops emotional confidence faster?

Confidence isn’t something you think your way into—it’s something you prove to yourself through experience. The more you engage, the more evidence you collect that you are capable of handling challenges. And the more capable you feel, the more naturally confident you become.

It’s a cycle—but it starts with action, not belief.

A Story That Might Sound Familiar…

I had a friend—let’s call him Alex—who wanted to start his own business. For years, he talked about it. Read books. Took courses. Waited for the day he’d finally feel ready.

One day, he realized something: that day was never going to come. He wasn’t suddenly going to wake up feeling confident. So instead of waiting, he committed. He set a date, launched his first offer, and stumbled his way through it.

Was it perfect? No. Did he feel confident? Not even close. But because he showed up consistently, things started shifting. Clients started coming in. His skills improved. And after a few months, he didn’t have to convince himself he could do it anymore—he had real-world proof.

His confidence wasn’t something he had to create. It was something he earned.

An Invitation

So here’s something to sit with:

What’s one thing you’ve been putting off because you don’t feel ready? And what would happen if, instead of waiting to believe in yourself, you simply committed to showing up?

If you’re ready to shift from waiting to believe in yourself to actually taking action, there’s a process I’ve created that helps train this exact mental shift. It’s designed to help you move past self-doubt and step into real momentum. If that sounds like something you’d benefit from, you’ll find more about it here.

And if you enjoyed this and want more insights like this, I share a lot of content over on Instagram @mikewangcoaching. I also send out a weekly newsletter packed with practical takeaways on topics like this. Feel free to check it out if that sounds helpful to you!