The other day I made a comment, on a personal development forum, where I explained that my motivation for training to compete in an ironman is to prove to myself, my children and others that, with enough effort, an ordinary person can achieve extraordinary results. In one of the replies, an individual stated he thought proving something was pointless to personal development, and furthermore, the need to prove something was an indication I was suffering from low self-esteem.
When I mentioned this to my wife, Andrea, she laughed and said, “The one thing you’re not suffering from, is low self-esteem!” Haha… I think anyone who knows me would agree. In fact, they might say I’m suffering from high self-esteem or too much confidence, because I honestly believe I can do anything!
I’ve been thinking about this for days now; it’s really been nagging at me. 
I have to say that having something to prove is top on the list of things that motivate me. I would even go so far as to say that it motivates almost everyone, but unfortunately many people have stopped trying to prove anything to anyone. Any idea why that is?
In my view, it’s because there is a price to pay for failure. Believing you can do something when others doubt you (or when you doubt yourself) is risky. What if they are right? What if you can’t?
When you believe you can, when you have something to prove and set out on your journey, you risk failing. And when you fail (and you will if you’re trying to do anything remarkable), what is the price you pay? Where do you feel the most damage? To your self-esteem, that’s where. That’s why so many people give up on trying to live their dream. The setbacks along the way become too painful, the price of failure too high.
But there’s another side to this story, an Up-side if you will, because just as failure lowers self-esteem, success increases it. Striving to be, do and have more than you or anyone believes you can will have you achieving more than you can imagine. With each new achievement your self-esteem will grow, your confidence will grow, and as a result the instances of success in your life will grow exponentially.
Life without something to prove isn’t much of a life if you ask me. I dare you to take some risks, to go out and create the life of your dreams. Get out there and show the world (and most importantly yourself) what you can do!
I would love to help you make your dreams a reality, contact me to start creating the life you’ve always wanted.
Strive to be more!
Coach Morse
