Build the Only Foundation That Lasts - Yourself

We are living in a trust recession. Confidence in institutions, leadership, and even systems we rely on has hit record lows.

In the 2025 annual Trust survey produced by the Edelman Trust Institute, 33,000 respondents from 28 countries found that 61% globally have a moderate or high sense of grievance (defined by a belief that government and business make their lives harder and serve narrow interests, and wealthy people benefit unfairly from the system). [1]

When the external world feels unpredictable and trust in traditional anchors such as governance and businesses erodes, our ability to rely on ourselves becomes essential.

This is where self-efficacy and self-trust come in. They form the internal compass that allows us to act, decide, and adapt even when the environment offers little validation.

• Self-efficacy: An individual's belief (confidence) in the ability to influence the events that affect their lives [2].

• Self-trust: The ability to rely on yourself - your judgement, values, and capacity to act with integrity - even when faced with uncertainty or external pressure [3].

Why It Matters

Evidence consistently points to the importance of these internal beliefs.

In a study of older adults during the Covid-19 period, higher self-efficacy was associated with higher hopefulness, even after adjusting for age, marital status, education, race and subjective health [4]. What this means is that when external environments are unstable, internal belief and self trust correlates with hope, especially when combined with more social support.

In a cross-sectional study of 84 young adults, self-esteem and self-efficacy were positively correlated with life-satisfaction [5]. This is evidence of how self trust and efficacy influences how satisfied one feels with life, even at a young age.

A Skyscraper is Only as Strong as its Foundation

A skyscraper can only rise as high as its foundation is deep and its structure is sound.

It takes incredible engineering and thousands of hours of work building such stability and beauty. Building our inner foundation is not unlike this. They are built through the willpower to consistently reflect, take action with integrity, and consciously make choices that aligns with our values.

And the keyword here is willpower. Intent is great, but it takes willpower to build any new muscle.

How to Strengthen Your Inner Foundation

Here are some ways you could begin building that foundation of self-trust and self-efficacy:

1. Talk to yourself like someone you love: The next time you talk to yourself, try to do it from the perspective of someone who truly believes that you are enough. Positive self-talk can sound cliché, but the reality is most of us extend more grace to others than to ourselves. Shifting to a kinder inner dialogue expands perspective and helps you see what you might otherwise miss.

2. Consciously take actions that align with your values: Get clear on what your values are. Each time you act in alignment with them, you send yourself a signal that validates those values. Acting with integrity also helps reinforce the deepest kind of trust - self respect.

3. Hold yourself accountable: What is trust and credibility if not consistency? Follow through on both major and minor commitments, especially the ones you make to yourself. Make it a point to finish what you start. Each time you show up for yourself, you are telling yourself "I can rely on myself".

4. Reframe setbacks as learnings: Mistakes happen. Failures are inevitable, more so in uncertain times. Don't let them break your foundation; let them inform it. If you are not succeeding, you are still growing.

5. Acknowledge progress and celebrate wins: No matter how small, celebrate them. Better still, create a regular routine to make sure you do that weekly/ monthly/ quarterly. Noticing effort and learning strengthens belief in your own capability.

6. Surround yourself with steady support: What or who are your scaffolding? Seek out mentors, peers, communities or coaches who can support you in your journey. Release those who drain your energy.

From Foundation to Growth

In times of uncertainty, the more important question is not "who can I trust?". It is "how deeply can I trust myself?"

When you build that foundation of self-trust and self-efficacy, you stop waiting for external validation and the illusion of stability, and start creating this in your inner structure.

If you are navigating change, whether in career, leadership or life, and wish to strengthen your inner foundation, coaching can help you reconnect with that inner compass, support you as you put insights into action and help you integrate these into your work-life so that it becomes muscle memory.

Because the best leaders we know don't chase certainty. They stand on solid ground, the one that they've already built for themselves.

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References:

1. Edelman Trust Institute. 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer Global Report. https://www.edelman.com/trust/2025/trust-barometer

2. Self-efficacy Bandura A. In: Ramachaudran VS, editor. Encyclopedia of human behaviour. new york: Academic press; 1994. p. 71-81]

3. Self trust. In: Brene. B. Braving the Wilderness. 2018

4. Kwon, S., Benoit, E. & Windosr, L. The effects of social support and self-efficacy on hopefulness in low-income older adults during Covid-19 pandemic. BMC Geriatr 24, 305 (2024)

5. Moirangthem. S. Role of self-esteem and self-efficacy on life-satisfaction in young adults. International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research (IJFMR). E-ISSN: 2582-2160