You’re not going to make it unless you put in the effort — and you’re not going to put in the effort if you keep doubting yourself. Your own self-consciousness is what’s going to keep you in your comfort zone, keep you from reaching your fullest potential, keep you exactly where you are right now.

You’re not going to make it unless you believe in yourself, unless you tell yourself you have what it takes to succeed. If you start doubting your abilities, if you start wondering whether there’s even a point in trying, then you’re not going to do your best work. You’re going to start slacking. You’re going to stop caring. You’re going to decide it doesn’t matter whether you put your full energy into something or whether you half-ass everything because the results are going to be the same. And that’s a dangerous way to think. That’s a recipe for failure.

You’re not going to make it unless you believe in yourself, so give yourself permission to brag a little bit. That doesn’t mean you have to act like a complete asshole. You should stop thinking of confidence as cocky. There’s a difference between saying you’re the greatest in the world at what you do and saying you’re great at what you do. It’s important to have confidence. It’s important to feel secure in your talents.

You’re not going to make it unless you believe in yourself, so stop being so self-deprecating. Stop acting like everyone else in the industry is better than you.

If you keep comparing yourself to the people around you, then you’re never going to feel successful. There’s always going to be someone making more money than you, someone in a higher position than you, someone who looks like they’re killing the game harder than you. But that doesn’t mean your own success is valueless.

You should be proud of yourself for everything you’ve accomplished so far and you should be confident in your ability to manifest even more success in the future.

You have to remember, optimism is a good thing. You might think being a pessimist is preparing you for the worst and protecting you from having your heart broken by failure, but in reality, it’s hurting you more than it’s helping you. It’s convincing you to stop trying. It’s convincing you to give up too early. It’s convincing you not to care.

You’re not going to make it unless you allow at least a little bit of optimism into your world, unless you stop trash talking yourself, unless you retrain your brain to be kinder to yourself.

You have what it takes to reach success. You have what it takes to achieve your wildest dreams. Your friends and family already know that, but it doesn’t seem like you know that yet.

Sure, you’re doing well right now — but you would be doing even better if you let yourself believe in your own talent, your own worth, your own potential for success.