The type of belief being discussed is the one that a person has when they have complete faith in their own capabilities. The type of belief that Terry Fox the one-legged young man from British Columbia had when he started to run across Canada to raise money for the Cancer Society. The same sort of belief that Rick Hanson the wheel chair bound Canadian who wheeled around the world to raise funds for spinal cord research had when he started his man in motion tour. Absolute belief in their ability to do what they set out to do.

The power of belief is a spiritual power we can use to achieve nearly impossible feats. The power of belief is the most awesome force anywhere. It is within each of us, and it is unleashed by a spark created by our self confidence. When our self confidence in our ability to do something is strong and unwavering, our subconscious mind is prodded to awaken our belief. It has been scientifically proven, many times, that when we believe we can do something then we will find a way to do it. As Mary Kay Ash said, “If you believe you can, you will and if you believe you can’t, you are right.”

The power of belief is strong and as your belief increases, you will discover things that were once just a dream or a thought, will become fact. To build up your self confidence so it will act on your belief, you have to make sure your self talk is always positive. Become your own coach and mentor, encouraging yourself to do better. Set goals and work to reach them. Reaching goals and talking positively to yourself will build your self confidence quickly. As your self confidence grows, so will your belief in your ability to do what you set out to do. The power of belief is what will make you successful in everything you attempt. Once your belief becomes deeply established, then little miracles will begin to happen for you.

The following experiment was conducted in a school in the United States. The results show just how powerful belief is.

A large class of students was broken into two smaller classes. The poorer performing students were put into one class and the average and above average students were put into another class. The average and above average class continued as usual. The under performing students were told by their new teacher that they were taken out of the class and put into this special class because they were the brightest students and they were going to be given special assignments to prove to everyone they were especially intelligent. They were told not to discuss their school work with the other students because it would make the other students envious. They were then given the same work as the other class. Throughout the year the teacher continued to praise the students and tell them how bright they were. By the end of the school year, the former under achievers were performing better than all the students in the other class. This experiment has been tried several times in different schools around the country and the results were always the same. When people are told frequently they are smart, good and can do exceptional work, they always start performing to that level because frequent repetition of praise makes them believe in their ability to perform at a high level.

The same thing will happen if you praise yourself over and over again. When you do something successfully, praise yourself. Constantly tell yourself how smart and capable you are. If your subconscious mind hears it often enough, it will take it for a fact. Your subconscious mind does not know whether something is true or not, it just “believes” what it is repeatedly told. By the same token, if you constantly belittle yourself or talk negatively to yourself, your subconscious mind will believe that. This is why you must always talk positively to yourself. It is well known that a person who has a negative belief and a negative attitude thinks, “I cannot to that” and a person who has a positive belief and a positive attitude thinks “I can do that, I know I can.” Positive belief can squash any adversity. Throughout history there have been numerous individuals who overcame obstacles using the power of their belief in themselves.

If you are the head of an organization, belief can be a powerful tool you can use. When you convince your staff that the work they are doing is very important and that it will benefit others, you will find their productivity increases dramatically. In fact individuals often work harder and will settle for less when they think what they are working for is linked to a deep self belief.

If you believe there is a possibility of achieving what you are doing, then you will use your full creativity and abilities and will pursue the task relentlessly. It is human nature to do so. Most of us are not very happy when we are doing something we do not believe in. Psychologist Marty Seligman claims in his book, “Authentic Happiness,” published by Simon & Schuster in 2002, people are happiest when using their personal strengths to defeat difficulties, if while doing it, they believe what they are doing makes a difference.

Our values are based on our beliefs; we make choices, set goals and act according to what we believe. Therefore, before we can change anything in our life, we have to believe what we are trying to change is possible. Whether we want to become the most successful person in our profession or we want to become a better surfboarder, we will have a better likelihood of success and we will work diligently to achieve it if we believe we can do it.

Napoleon Hill, author of the book, “Think and Grow Rich,” stated this concept very concisely when he said, “Whatever a man can conceive and believe, he can achieve.”

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Do you remember the old Emergency Broadcast Announcement, the one with the horrible beeping sound that tells you “had this been an actual emergency, you would have been instructed where to go and…”

A few years ago, there was something similar making the rounds on the Internet. It went something like this. “This life is a test. It is only a test. Had this been an actual life, you would have received instructions on where to go and what to do…”

It would be nice if life came with instructions on where to go and what to do. But it doesn’t.

And yet, so many people go through life as if they’re waiting for instructions, or for their “real” life to begin. You’ll hear people say things like “When I lose 20 pounds, I’m going to…” or, “When I’ve got enough money, then I’m going to…” It’s as if they’ve put their life on hold, waiting for everything to be perfect, before they start actually living it!

But this life isn’t a test, or a rehearsal, or a game. You don’t get a “do over” when it’s finished. This is it.

Don’t waste another minute of your life! Instead of waiting until things are perfect, or for “someday” to arrive, start enjoying yourself now!

Not sure what to do?

Make a “What I want to do Before I die” list. When you’re starting your list, it doesn’t matter how wild and crazy your dreams are! So if you’ve always wanted to take up scuba diving, or you want to make a million dollars or even sing in front 10,000 people — write it down. Think about everything that you really want — the things that would make you feel special or loved, or important. The things you’ve been meaning to get around to doing, but for one reason or another, just haven’t done. The secret dreams that have been hiding in a tiny corner of your heart.

The important thing here is figure out exactly what it is you WANT. Writing the things down, gives them form and shape and power.

After you’ve written them down, prioritize the list. What things are on that list that are the most important to you? If you found out that you were going to die next year, or next week, or tomorrow, what would you want to do before it happens?

Don’t be surprised if your list is very long. You’ve probably been denying yourself for a while now, because “life” got in the way of “living.” If you’re like most people, you’ll find there are some things on your list that are very simple, and easy to do. Maybe you like feeling spoiled by having your first cup of coffee in bed every morning. Or maybe you only use grandma’s “company” dishes during special occasions, but you love them. Or maybe your list includes things like telling the people you love that they matter to you.

Whatever is on your list, whatever dreams and desires are in your heart, what are you waiting for? Set your alarm fifteen minutes earlier, and enjoy your coffee in bed. If you want to learn to salsa dance, but you’re waiting until you lose fifteen pounds — remember that salsa dancing is a great form of exercise — and just do it!

When you give yourself permission to start living your life, amazing things start to happen! You may find yourself going through a “lucky” streak. Opportunity starts knocking at your door on a regular basis. And you may even find that the stress and strain you were under has lifted. Things look brighter, and you feel happier.

Don’t throw your list away — in fact, keep it handy and add to it as you think of new dreams, new goals. Because as you begin to live the life you were meant to live — a life that’s worth living — you may just find that you need a new sheet of paper!

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