"Self-efficacy" is a word that you have heard me use many times, and it's a term that's being heard more and more these days - in business, in social science, in education. What in the world does it mean? What difference does it make to you?

Self-efficacy is your own judgment of your ability to do something - sell a car, play golf, solve a problem, whatever. But self-efficacy isn't so much about your skills as it is about your appraisal of your ability to use those skills.

Here is something that is very important. Research has shown that people who see themselves as efficacious generally perform better than people who don't, even though their skills may be similar. How come? Well, they hang in there when things get tough. Instead of giving up, they try something different. They don't get uptight under pressure, because they believe they are going to come through just fine.

Efficacious people have more options in life. People usually avoid things they think they can't handle, and efficacious people just think they can, and they do! There it is in a nutshell: We behave not in accordance with the truth, but with "the truth" as we believe it to be.

If you would like to raise your self-efficacy and your self-esteem, start today by setting a goal and creating the vision. You will figure out how as you go along. I know you can do it!