Belief in yourself is one of the most important ingredients in success. Skills matter, goals matter and opportunities matter, but if a young person does not believe they are capable of growing, learning and following through, it becomes much harder to take action.
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That was one of the lessons we took from Jay Bennett’s “Steps to Success” talk. His message about dreams, attitude, belief and commitment applies not only to adults in business, but also to students, enterprising kids and young people learning how to build confidence.
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Belief in Yourself: Jay Bennett’s Steps to Success
On our journey, we are finding many opportunities coming our way. Some of these opportunities involve speakers who have achieved enormous success in their chosen fields of endeavour.
What makes many of these speakers so inspiring is that, whatever company they represent or whatever industry they work in, the deeper principles of success are often the same.
One such speaker was an inspiring Californian man named Jay Bennett. Jay had achieved great success in network marketing and spoke with energy, humour, confidence and a genuine passion for helping others succeed.
He was also a very fit and healthy man, and his appearance could easily fool you into thinking he was many years younger than he actually was. He was a walking billboard for the health and wellbeing industry.
Jay spoke for two hours and had us captivated by his insights. His talk was titled “Steps to Success”, and I thought his message was powerful enough to share with our readers.
Step 1: Start With a Dream
If you have not really thought about what your dream is, Jay suggests that is where you should start.
Identify your real dreams and what you want in your life.
Where do you want to be in ninety days?
Where do you want to be in one year?
Where do you want to be in three years?
That simple act of looking ahead can be powerful for students and enterprising kids. Young people need to learn that goals do not have to stay vague. They can be named, pictured, written down and worked towards.
“You have to have a dream to make a dream come true.”
For children and teenagers, a dream might be connected to school, sport, creativity, enterprise, confidence, travel, friendships, money or contribution. The specific dream matters less than the process of learning how to imagine a future and then take steps towards it.
Step 2: Build the ABCs of Success
Jay Bennett explained the foundation for success using three simple ideas: Attitude, Belief and Commitment.
These are easy words to say, but they are powerful life skills to practise.
For enterprising kids, these three ideas connect directly to real-world learning. A child starting a small enterprise, learning a new skill or working towards a personal goal will need all three.
Attitude: Focus on the Solution
Jay’s first success principle was attitude.
He made the point that a great attitude often leads to better results. That does not mean life is always easy or that problems disappear. It means choosing to focus on the solution rather than becoming stuck in the problem.
Some of Jay’s key ideas around attitude included:
- Having a great attitude leads to better results.
- Focus on the solution, not only the problem.
- Associate with positive people.
- Attitude can influence success in every area of life.
This is such an important message for students.
A child with a poor attitude may see every challenge as proof that they cannot succeed. A child with a stronger attitude can begin to ask, “What can I try next?”
That shift matters.
Belief in Yourself: The Core Success Principle
The second principle was belief, and this is where the phrase belief in yourself becomes so important.
Jay spoke about believing in the industry, the company, the products and the opportunity. But he made it clear that the most important belief is the belief a person has in themselves.
For students and young people, this is a huge lesson.
Belief in yourself does not mean pretending you already know everything. It means believing that you are capable of learning, improving, asking for help, recovering from setbacks and becoming stronger through experience.
Jay’s key ideas around belief included:
- Believe in the opportunity in front of you.
- Most importantly, believe in yourself.
- Believe that you are capable of success.
- Believe that you deserve the chance to grow.
- Build belief through positive learning, books, audios, events and mentors.
This is why personal development matters for children and teenagers. The books they read, the people they listen to, the events they attend and the conversations around them can all help shape what they believe is possible.
Commitment: Stay With the Journey
The third principle was commitment.
Jay reminded us that success is usually one step at a time. It is not a single moment. It is a journey.
Commitment means following through on your dreams, even when the first burst of excitement has worn off.
Some of Jay’s key ideas around commitment included:
- Success is one step at a time.
- Follow through on your dreams.
- Success is a journey, not only a destination.
- Commit to the journey.
- Success often means hanging on when others have let go.
This is a powerful message for enterprising kids.
Many children have ideas. Fewer children follow those ideas long enough to learn from them. Commitment teaches young people to keep going, adjust, improve and continue after the easy part is over.
Positive Association and Success
Jay Bennett made a big point about mixing with the right people and keeping yourself focused and motivated.
The best way to do that, he suggested, is to regularly place yourself in environments where you can learn from people who are positive, motivated and moving in the direction you want to go.
That might include seminars, talks, training events, books, audios, mentors, coaches or simply spending more time with people who lift your thinking.
For students, this does not have to mean attending business seminars. It might mean choosing friends carefully, joining a positive team, listening to encouraging podcasts, reading books that stretch them or spending time around adults who model persistence and confidence.
Belief in yourself is easier to build when you are surrounded by people who also believe growth is possible.
Jay Bennett’s Message for Enterprising Kids
Although Jay’s talk was aimed at adults pursuing success, the principles apply beautifully to young people.
Students need dreams.
They need a positive attitude.
They need belief in themselves.
They need commitment.
They also need positive people around them who help them stay motivated and focused.
These are the same qualities that help children develop an entrepreneurial mindset. Whether a child is starting a small business, improving at school, building confidence, learning a sport or working towards a personal goal, the principles remain the same.
You can learn more about Jay Bennett’s training background through his Jay Bennett trainer profile.
How Students Can Practise the Steps to Success
Here is a simple way to turn Jay Bennett’s message into a practical student activity.
1. Name the dream
Ask the student to write down one dream or goal they genuinely care about.
2. Choose the attitude
Ask them to write one problem they might face, then one solution-focused response they could practise.
3. Strengthen belief in yourself
Ask them to write three pieces of evidence that show they are capable of learning, growing or improving.
4. Commit to one step
Ask them to choose one small action they can take this week.
5. Find positive association
Ask them to identify one person, book, video, team or environment that helps them feel encouraged and motivated.
This turns success from a motivational idea into something students can actually practise.
Key Takeaway: Belief in Yourself Builds Success
Key takeaway: belief in yourself is one of the foundations of success. Jay Bennett’s Steps to Success message reminds us that dreams, attitude, belief, commitment and positive association can help students and enterprising kids build confidence and keep moving towards their goals.
Where to Next?
- Read Jay Bennett’s trainer profile
- Read How Bad Do You Want It? A student motivation lesson
- Read Vision Board Ideas for Students
- Read about limiting beliefs in children and the I am enough message
- Visit Raise Entrepreneurial Kids
Which part of Jay Bennett’s Steps to Success would help your child most right now: dream, attitude, belief or commitment?