James Allen once said, “The will to do springs from the knowledge that we can do.”

Regardless of the endeavor, belief in what you’re doing matters. It matters more than most other factors. In many cases, a lack of belief is what holds people back from taking the actions that lead to positive results.

When you look at people who are successful, whether it’s people in business, athletes, actors, or normal people like you and I,  belief in themselves is one of the key traits.

Belief leads to action. Action then leads to results. Results create more motivation and makes it easier to take more action.

Momentum matters.

If you’re struggling to believe, and struggling to gain momentum in one or more areas of life, here are three quick actions you can take to change that:

1. Look at those who are succeeding

Regardless of the activity, there are most likely people already succeeding. Look to them as proof that it can be done. Once someone accomplishes a great feat, it should serve as proof that others can accomplish it too.

The 4-minute mile is a great example of this. For years, people thought it was physically impossible for a human to run a mile in under four minutes. It was so ridiculous that even doctors were trying to justify how the human body couldn’t handle running that fast.

Then on May 6, 1954, Roger Bannister achieved the first sub- 4-minute mile. The interesting thing is, that record only stood for 46 days. Within a year, several others had also broken the mark.

All it took was one person to show the world it was possible.

When things aren’t going well, it’s easy to get lost in your own personal doldrums. Salespeople do this all the time. Instead, look around and see what others in your profession are achieving.

2. Learn the specific actions they took

One of the common challenges I see when people look at others who are successful is they want to distance themselves from that person. Or they make excuses why that person’s success can’t be duplicated.

In sales, it might be someone having a better territory with more hot prospects. In sports, maybe someone had better coaching or played against tougher competition. Maybe an actor had connections to people that others don’t.

Don’t go down that path. Instead, look at what the person DID. What actions did he or she take? What resources and training did they have to seek or engage in before they achieved the results?

How many times did they fail before they made it? What did they do to overcome their challenges? Once they reached the top, what actions did they take to reach even higher levels of success?

Some people do have  starting points that are farther along than most of us. But more often than not, you’ll find the true key to their success lies in their work ethic, tenacity, willingness to push through challenges, and an effort higher than most. There were challenges to overcome, and they didn’t give up.

3. Scale your actions to theirs

If you want to be successful, do what successful people do and emulate the same volume of activity. It’s that simple, and it’s also the only thing you have total control over.

You may not achieve the same exact results as they did, but you’ll achieve more than you currently are. Over time, your experience and skill level will improve, and so will your results.

When I was new in sales, I struggled bad. My first 12 appointments resulted in no-sales.

Then I went to a conference and learned some selling skills and messaging techniques that helped me make some sales. Then I plateaued again.

What helped me through the second plateau was emulating the volume of actions other reps were taking. I just wasn’t doing enough appointments, and what that took was making more prospecting phone calls.

An increase in focus, discipline, and tenacity was all it took, and my sales took off even more from there.

Ultimately, all roads lead to this conclusion: take action, and take more of it! Taking more disciplined action cures a lot of problems. Once you do, you’ll see results, and you’ll know you can do it. Then you’ll want to take even more action.

Bret Barrie was a Hall-of-Fame and President’s Club-winning sales rep and is a top-producing sales leader. He is also the author of The Selling Edge: How to Reach the Top in any Sales Industry. A baseball enthusiast and fitness junkie, he is happily married with three children and lives in the greater Sacramento area. For more information, visit bretbarrie.com.