8.13 Elena Della Donne

“You have to have faith in yourself, even when nobody else does.” - Elena Delle Donne

How do you have belief and faith in yourself when no one else does?

If you want to be great at anything, you have to believe in yourself because self-belief is the foundation of high achievement — before anyone else can believe in you, you have to trust your own ability, vision, and potential.

Elena Delle Donne was one of the most dominant female basketball players of all time. She once said, "You have to have faith in yourself, even when nobody else does.”

Faith is confidence or trust in something. When you have it, you’re willing to work harder and longer, you are more likely to keep going when setbacks happen because you believe they are temporary in your ability to overcome them, and you inspire others to believe in you too.

When you don’t have it, you’re more likely to hesitate or quit when challenges come, you might hold back from taking risks or pushing yourself to your limits, and the doubts other people have can easily derail you.

You build faith in yourself by consistently keeping promises to yourself, stacking small wins, learning from setbacks, and surrounding yourself with people who lift you higher. Over time, preparation, positive self-talk, and remembering past victories create a track record that proves you can trust yourself to handle whatever comes.

Your mindset is the starting point of your greatness, and you can build faith in yourself the same way you build muscle — through consistent, intentional practice that proves to your brain you can trust you.

Question of the Day: In what areas is your faith in yourself the strongest, and in what areas does it need to get stronger?