I lost my faith on a Thursday afternoon.
Not my religious faith (though that’s a story for another time), but my faith in myself. My conviction that the dreams I was chasing weren’t just delusions. My belief that the universe was somehow conspiring to help rather than mock me.
It happened in the most mundane way possible – after receiving my third rejection letter that week. I was sitting at my kitchen table, staring at my laptop screen, when something inside me just… collapsed.
That collapse taught me something critical: faith isn’t permanent. It’s a muscle that needs regular exercise. And when life gets tough, that muscle can atrophy faster than we realize.
When Your Faith Feels Like a Deflated Balloon
Let’s be real – maintaining faith during challenges isn’t just difficult, it can feel impossible. That’s because our brains are literally wired to protect us through doubt. When we face setbacks, our instinct is to lower expectations to avoid further disappointment.
But here’s what Napoleon Hill discovered after studying hundreds of successful people: faith isn’t just some fluffy spiritual concept. It’s a practical mental tool that creates a bridge between where we are and where we want to be.
Think about it – every major achievement in history started with someone believing in something that didn’t exist yet. The airplane. The smartphone. The four-minute mile. Each required faith before evidence.
So how do we strengthen our faith when everything around us seems determined to crush it?
Start With Your Morning Mental Diet
What’s the first thing you consume in the morning?
I’m not talking about coffee or breakfast. I’m talking about the information you feed your mind.
For most of us, it’s a toxic mix of news headlines, social media doomscrolling, and work emails – all before we even brush our teeth. Then we wonder why our faith feels shaky by 9 AM.
If we’re going to learn how to strengthen your faith, we need to be intentional about our mental diet, especially during those first vulnerable minutes of the day.
Try this: for the next 7 days, don’t touch your phone for the first 20 minutes after waking. Instead, read something faith-building. This could be inspirational quotes, spiritual texts, success stories – whatever resonates.
We’ve found that reading accounts of people who overcame similar challenges to what you’re facing is particularly powerful. Their stories become evidence for what’s possible in your life.
This isn’t woo-woo stuff. It’s about deliberately programming your mind before the world tries to program it for you. Sharon and I have seen dramatic shifts in our clients’ resilience after implementing just this one practice.
Connect Faith to Physical Movement
Our bodies don’t know the difference between excitement and anxiety. Both produce similar physical responses. But we can hack this system.
When your faith is wavering, your body usually knows it first. Your shoulders slump. Your breathing gets shallow. Your face tenses. These physical states then reinforce the mental doubt in a nasty feedback loop.
But it works both ways! Physical movement can strengthen mental faith.
Try creating a 2-minute “faith anchor” movement. This could be as simple as standing tall with your arms raised in a victory pose, or as elaborate as a personal dance move. The specific movement doesn’t matter as much as your consistency in using it.
Whenever you feel your faith slipping, do your movement while repeating a personal faith statement. Something like: “Every challenge I face is preparing me for something greater” or “I have everything I need to overcome this.”
Does it feel silly at first? Absolutely. I felt ridiculous doing power poses in my bathroom mirror. But after a few weeks, the neurological connection between the movement and the mental state becomes so strong that just doing the movement instantly shifts your faith level.
The Faith Journal That Actually Works
Look, I know “keep a journal” is the most basic advice ever. But most people do it wrong when it comes to building faith.
They write about their problems, their worries, their doubts. Which is fine for processing emotions, but terrible for strengthening faith.
Instead, create a specific “Evidence Journal.” This isn’t about what you hope will happen. It’s about documenting proof that your faith is justified.
Every night, write down:
1. One thing that went well today (no matter how small) 2. How something challenging actually benefited you 3. A past obstacle you overcame that seemed impossible at the time
Over time, this journal becomes your personal faith bank. When challenges hit and your belief wavers, you can withdraw from this account of evidence that you’ve already collected.
The magic isn’t in writing it – it’s in reviewing it when you need it most. Keep it accessible. We recommend taking pictures of key entries so they’re always on your phone when doubt strikes.
Find Your Faith Tribe
Faith isn’t meant to be a solo sport.
Show me someone with unshakable faith, and I’ll show you someone who has deliberately surrounded themselves with others who feed that faith.
This might be the hardest part of how to strengthen your faith – because it often means changing who you spend time with. The harsh truth is that some people in your life might be faith vampires, draining your belief with their cynicism, doubt, and negativity.
You need to find at least 2-3 people who believe in your vision even when you temporarily lose sight of it. People who will remind you of your capacity when you forget it.
They don’t need to share your exact goals or beliefs. They just need to be committed to holding space for your faith when it falters.
We’ve seen countless clients transform their resilience simply by shifting who they talk to during challenges. One call with the right person can restore faith that a week of positive thinking couldn’t rebuild.
Where do you find these people? Start by being one for someone else. Faith tribes are often built through reciprocity.
Test Your Faith With Tiny Experiments
Sometimes we need to give our faith something concrete to work with.
In positive psychology, there’s a concept called “small wins” that’s incredibly powerful for faith-building. Instead of testing your faith on your ultimate goal (which might be months or years away), create tiny experiments that can prove your faith is warranted in just a few days.
For example, if you’re trying to believe you can build a successful business, don’t make your first faith test getting a major client. Make it something smaller, like reaching out to three potential customers this week.
When you complete these mini-experiments, you create tangible evidence that your faith produces results. This creates a positive spiral where small wins fuel bigger faith, which fuels bigger wins.
The key is starting small enough that success is likely, but meaningful enough that it matters. Each successful experiment becomes a brick in your foundation of faith.
This Isn’t Just About Feeling Better
Strengthening your faith isn’t just about comfort during difficult times. It’s about creating the psychological conditions necessary for success.
Napoleon Hill discovered that faith is the starting point of all accumulation of riches – whether those riches are financial, relational, or spiritual. Without faith, we simply don’t take the actions required for success, or we give up before results materialize.
So as you practice these faith-strengthening techniques, remember what you’re really doing: you’re building the internal capacity required for external achievement.
The challenges you’re facing right now? They’re not obstacles to your faith. They’re the gym equipment designed to strengthen it.
Now go pick up those weights.