Back Yourself: The Belief Behind CRAFTD

Belief comes first

Before we try to achieve anything in life, believing in ourselves has to be the first priority. For some it comes easier than others. But without a doubt, it can be developed in all of us. We just need to know the steps:

• Create a clear vision and mission for yourself, so you know exactly what you're working towards.
• Live by a set of principles and values, and let them guide every decision you make.
• Start stacking wins to build confidence and prove to yourself that you are who you say you are.
• Build momentum, and keep it.

Decide who you want to be

Let's start at the top. Deciding who you want to be matters more than anything else, for anyone who wants to become more than they are right now. If you don't know what kind of man you want to be, what are you working towards?

You can work towards external goals, of course. Business, money, fitness, family. But none of them will make you happy if you aren't happy with who you are. Who you become is what decides how you feel at the end of it. There are plenty of stories of people who reached the top of their field and still felt empty, because success on the outside doesn't guarantee peace on the inside.

So decide who you want to be. Not what. Who. Then start showing up as that person every day, in every situation, conversation and moment. Which leads me to the second step.

Live by your principles

What principles and values does your best self live by? These are what lead you. They govern your actions and your decisions. Without them, you're at the mercy of your emotions and whatever's happening around you, and that isn't where you want to be.

A man who is steady in his principles and values knows where he's going. That's what a leader is. And our principles shape our habits, which is where the real change happens.

Stack the small wins

Stacking wins is how we build confidence. Every one is proof, to yourself, that you can do the thing you're chasing.

The wins start small. Finishing your daily tasks. Making the call you've been putting off. Pitching the client. Acting on the idea you haven't been able to stop thinking about. Each one builds your belief a little more, and as you grow, the wins get bigger.

There's a line I come back to a lot, borrowed loosely from James Clear: we don't rise to the level of our goals, we fall to the level of our beliefs and habits. Build the belief, stack the wins and keep at it.

Then comes the momentum

At first, nothing happens. You're focused on building new habits, and it's uncomfortable. It feels like you're getting nowhere. It might even feel like you're wasting your time, and you'll doubt yourself and your goals, because you haven't built the conviction yet.

Then the compound effect starts. All those small wins begin working together, and it's like the wind is at your back. Things start to fall into place. It feels like you're being guided. That's the flow state, and that's where the magic happens.

When you find it, keep it.

Why our stories start here

When we started CRAFTD Stories, we wanted to spend time with people who live this, not people who talk about it. Every episode is someone at a different point on the same path.

• Bilal Fawaz, on boxing, statelessness and where his self-belief comes from.
• JayDon, on the pressure of being called next and the work behind the show.
• Leo Neugebauer, on the road from Olympic silver to European gold.
• Jonathan Mannion, on three decades behind the lens and the moments that made a culture visible.

None of them waited for permission. Each of them decided who they wanted to be, lived by something, stacked the wins, and kept going when it felt like nothing was moving.

The reminders we carry

Not in a forced way, but this is where jewellery comes in for us.

Most men who wear a piece every day will tell you it stops being an accessory. It becomes a reminder. A pendant for faith. A compass for direction. Something from someone they love. You catch it in the mirror on a hard morning and it tells you who you decided to be.

It's the question we asked in Are you a jewellery guy? Not whether you own a chain or two, but whether you've felt what the right piece can do for the way you carry yourself.

The North Star. Trust in yourself, back yourself, and keep moving.

That's the idea behind the North Star: trust in yourself, back yourself, and keep moving towards what you want. If you're looking for a piece that stands for something, our guide to inspirational jewellery for men walks through what each symbol means.

Back yourself

You won't feel ready. Most people never do. Decide who you want to be anyway, and start showing up as him today.