Ok, full stop. Definitely believe in yourself!
With that said, when preparing to engage in something challenging, we can often start to doubt ourselves. Am I mentally strong enough? Durable enough? Do I “have what it takes” to get this job done?
These questions can be hard to answer because, well, there is no empirical answer. If you are feeling doubt, then that doubt will cloud your self-image as well.
So don’t really try to believe in “yourself.” Believe in the work you’ve put in.
The days of training where you were pushed to your limits, and were able to go a few steps beyond. The small decisions you made daily to avoid the little temptations that add up to big setbacks. The mental strength you developed through sharpening yourself against the grindstone of your training routine.
If you have put in the work, you can believe in it, because it’s real. It happened. YOU accomplished that.
No matter how you feel about yourself, you can always believe in the work you’ve done. Focus on that, and you’ll realize that the challenge ahead of you is something you’ve conquered twenty times over already in absolute terms.
From this perspective, the belief should be the easy part.
It’s the work itself that’s hard. So make sure to be consistent, never cut corners, and guide yourself down the right path. If you can actually put in the work, you’ll always have something to believe in.