This is an excerpt from my new book, The 4 Minute Millionaire*. If you enjoy it, you can buy a copy on Amazon for $4. Disclaimer: This is not financial advice.

After interviewing hundreds of rich people in the early 1900s, Napoleon Hill concluded the most important trait they shared was a strong, unwavering belief in themselves and their ability to achieve their goals.

The technique to develop this belief is as old as mankind itself, even if science has claimed to have “invented” it many times in history. One of those times was in Hill’s era. Back then, psychologists called it “autosuggestion.” 

At its core, autosuggestion is nothing more than a self-directed pep talk:

You turn your goals into self-fulfilling prophecies by telling yourself you’ll achieve them. In doing so, you feed your subconscious the confidence to actually pull them off. It’s the Placebo effect minus the meds.

You can achieve your goals. You can make your dreams a reality. You must go your own way and not let anyone interfere with it. Can you feel it? It’s already working. Your thoughts are shaping your reality.

If your teacher called you bad at math in third grade, chances are you’ve kept suggesting the idea to yourself ever since. Thus, even if you weren’t before, you might have actually become bad at math. If you don’t believe you’re good at something, you’ll never try your hardest. Why bother?

Your subconscious can make you a slacker, but it can also make you a high-performer. People often point at rich individuals and say: “It’s easy for her to be confident – she’s rich!” In reality, a certain degree of confidence isn’t just a result of success – it’s a requirement for it.

Give yourself pep talks. Do it often. You don’t have to visualize everything, create a mood board, or write out a long set of affirmations.

You can do those things if you enjoy them, and they’ll also work, but it’s enough to simply tell yourself: “I can do this!” Humans have been doing it for thousands of years.

Use autosuggestion to build the confidence you need to follow through on the actions you must take. Somewhere along the way, your goals will seep into the unconscious part of your brain, and you’ll automatically align your decisions with them. Until, one day, you make the inevitable a reality: You will reach your financial goals.

Action Item: Come up with a short mantra to boost your financial confidence

It doesn’t matter if you save it in a note, make it your phone background, or repeat it five times every morning after breakfast. The point is to – somewhat regularly – reinforce the idea that you deserve the money you need to live the life you want.

That life needn’t be grand, by the way. It’s okay to stay small. You don’t have to dream of yachts and private planes. Maybe you just want more vacations, a slightly bigger apartment, or better sleep thanks to a little passive income.

Whatever final goal you have, the words of encouragement you dream of hearing more often from others along the way are, ultimately, your own gift to give. “I can earn $100,000.” “I am in control of my finances.” “I deserve to be rich.”

Take your pick, write it down, and revisit it on occasion. Give yourself the gift of words.