Self-efficacy, The Power To Believe And Feel Capable

Do you feel that you are up to achieving the goal you have set for yourself?  You may have in mind starting your own business or learning to drive, but perhaps you doubt your abilities to do so. If so, this indicates that you have a very low and weak perception of self-efficacy, so it is unlikely that you will get what you want.

One of the best representations of the concept of self-efficacy was during Obama’s speech in the framework of the elections for president of the United States. We talk about his famous “Yes, we can!” which translates as: We can! A positive and motivating message that if we make it our mantra will reduce the number of goals we set for ourselves to a great extent. Of course, if we give it credibility. In this way, we will trust in our abilities and in the capacity we have to face difficulties.

If there is a psychologist who is closely related to this construct, it is Albert Bandura.  This researcher developed a theory with which he pointed out, among other postulates, that there are certain variables of the person that influence their behavior and that are related to the feeling of self-efficacy. One of them is precisely the degree to which the subject trusts his abilities or believes himself effective in achieving a result.

However, this is not enough to feel valid and capable. For this reason, below we address 3 important aspects to increase our self-efficacy. By dedicating enough time to each of them, we will be able to achieve most of the things that we set out to do.

Be realistic

It is impossible for everything to be good for us, there are many things in which we will have to strive and work. Now, this does not imply that we cannot achieve our purposes most of the time. It is about discovering what we need to develop. Detect new skills in which to invest our time to achieve the objectives set.

To do this, we have to see each other accurately and honestly and then observe the goal we intend to reach. What do we have going for us right now? What do we need to focus on? The important thing is not to give up the first time, first you have to analyze, plan and reflect. Most dreams are achieved with effort and enthusiasm.

On the other hand, we must make sure that our goals are achievable. Once this is clear, we need to be aware that its achievement will take time. Gaining experience in those lands that are still deserted will not be achieved overnight. However, when we look back we will realize how far we have come.

Slowly but surely

A fragile self-efficacy originates in a hurry, fleeing forward in an attempt to obtain by impulse and in the short term what we want so much. Not knowing how to wait, rushing, will lead us directly to failure. People seek immediate satisfaction, that everything we want happens right now. We are not willing to wait months or even years to get it.

However, all success is based on perseverance. Progression will be much better than any sudden change. Thanks to it, we can grow and increase our self-efficacy. It is very difficult to achieve our goals without it.

Let’s imagine that we are part of a climbing group. If we are in a hurry to get to the top, we will not notice how we progress. We may fall or that at certain moments our nerves kidnap us because we are not climbing as fast as we would like. However, we will continue to want to get there fast. And so, at some point we will block ourselves and doubts will appear to question whether we will achieve our goal. We have not paid attention to our self-efficacy and little by little it has weakened.

Now, if we look at where our feet and hands rest, how they grip and hold, we will gradually learn what works for us and what does not. Although our ascent is slow, we will know that sooner or later we will reach the top because we are learning and growing, as we trust ourselves and our progress. It is even possible that we may fall, but we will get up and try again, without a doubt. Our feeling of self-efficacy has grown by leaps and bounds.

The path offers clues

The path we travel gives us clues to direct our course. We only need to free ourselves from our rigidity and make way for new alternatives to act appropriately when we come across stones and walls.

If we focus on obstacles and waste time turning them around, we will never observe what is next to them. Accepting that we are confused and evaluating our routes is always an option that we must bear in mind. The fear of failure cannot scare us.

If time passes and we do not advance, it will be for something. We must look around us because sometimes nothing happens as we had planned and above all, inside us. Do we really believe ourselves capable and valid? Our inner critic may not be playing tricks and boycotting us through doubts.

To have a high self-efficacy it is important to be flexible to adapt to circumstances, change the chosen course when it does not take us where we want to go and open our eyes wide to realize what is happening, how much confidence we give ourselves.

If you want to have high self-efficacy you need to be flexible. You have to learn to adjust to the circumstances, to change course when the chosen one does not take you where you want to go and to open your eyes wide to realize what is happening and not waste any more time.

Our motivation will increase when we value our actions as effective. But to get there, you have to do all the previous work. If we have completed all the steps but have doubts about our ability, why don’t we stop to find out how we are treating ourselves? Perhaps asking the people around us can help us.