Like it or not, our beliefs play a big role in determining the quality of our lives.
If you believe that math is tough, there is someone out there who believes it is easy. If you believe that it is easy to make a million dollars, there is someone out there who believes it is impossible. If you believe that times are tough, there is always somebody out there who believes it is a great time to make money!
At this time, many people would argue,
But what if the beliefs I have are really true?
What if I am really not good at selling?
What if it the economy is really down and going to stay down?
What if there are really no opportunities around?
What if it cannot be done? What if I don't have what it takes?
What you must understand is that the beliefs you have are never absolutely true. Beliefs are not proven facts. They are nothing but perceptions, opinions, generalizations we make about the world around us.
For every belief you hold, no matter how much you think it is true, there is always somebody out there with a totally opposite belief. And to them, their belief is as valid as yours is to you.
The following example illustrates how one person has the power to change the belief of others.
Breaking the Beliefs of the World
For hundreds of years, runners had never been able to run one mile in less than four minutes. Many had attempted this feat but had fallen short.
As a result, it was generally believed, and supposedly backed up as fact by the medical community, that it was not possible for a human being to run that fast!
All these changed in 1954, when defying all conventions, all it took was for a single person to break these facts and records.
Roger Bannister, a postgraduate student from Oxford University set a goal to be the first to break this 'impossible record'. The fact was that he was nowhere near being the best runner of his time. There were many other runners better than he.
But this didn't deter Roger. Besides physical training, he engaged in a lot of mental training. He kept visualizing himself breaking the four-minute time barrier.
Then, on May 6, 1954, Roger Bannister stunned the world by running the mile in three minutes and 54 seconds. That was not the most amazing thing.
What was truly amazing was that, within a year, 37 other runners had broken his record. Within the next three years, over 300 runners repeated the same feat.
For so long, nobody came close to Roger Bannister's record. The minute an 'ordinary' person achieved the feat, it led to many others achieving it too.
This proves that what holds people back in tapping their fullest potential and achieving their goals is not a lack of capability, but a lack of strong empowering beliefs.
Beliefs are never absolutely true, but it becomes totally true for the person who believes in them! This is simply because whatever we believe becomes our reality.
The essence is for us to constantly challenge ourselves by examining the effects of our beliefs, and finally to adopt empowering beliefs that will lead us to success.
