It all starts with belief

I was 24 years old, I had no money, two kids, and no real skill to speak of nor any useful background - education or otherwise - to use to figure out a way to support my family and make a living.?It was a hopeless circumstance.

Or at least that was my belief in myself at that time.?

Fast forward 10 years, I had been voted as the best employee of the quarter for my division, the same year I became part of the top ten billers club at Robert Walters Japan, managed the Talent Acquisition operations for Japan, Korea, Australia, and New Zealand for a global software company (Autodesk), helped launch WeWork Japan and supported it to become the fastest and most profitable market globally, and am now launching and starting my own Training and Coaching business.

How did that happen? How did a below-average person with no confidence and full of self-doubt manage to do all of that?

It was simply my belief in whom I was that changed. That was really the only thing that changed. Sure, there were other things that I learned from my team members, managers, etc, all of whom had a tremendous impact on my life and to whom I owe a lot. But I was able to be in a place to accept the input, advice, and act upon them that made the difference. That place was simply a change of belief in what I believed I was capable of.

As a living organism, a Homosapien, physically, I haven’t changed much in the past ten years. (ok, that’s a lie, I’ve discovered a few annoying strands of white hair and have also discovered the realm of the hangover, and ....?well, you get the picture) But what did change was my self-image, my beliefs in what I felt I was capable of. That’s really it. This has launched me on my journey for the past few years to study this, what I felt was a phenomenon, magic in my eyes, the power of my mind. I wanted to see if this was repeatable. If it was just luck or is this something that all humans have the ability to do regardless of circumstance to change and transform our lives from what it is, to what it can be.

This has led me to study the minds of people like the Wright brothers, Thomas Edison, John Paul Jones, Napoleon Hill, Charles M. Schwab, Andrew Carnegie, Henry Ford, Roger Bannister, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Conor Mcgregor, Jamie Kern Lima, and countless others. People who managed to achieve tremendous success, even while their circumstances made it seem impossible to do so. They are all different and have accomplished different things. But one thing that they all held in common was simply their belief in themselves.

One of my favorite stories I had come across in my studies is Roger Bannister. Roger Bannister was the first recorded human to run a four-minute mile. Now, I hate running (a limiting belief I suppose) but his story is a perfect example of the power of belief.

Until he broke that record of the four-minute mile, it was thought impossible to break this barrier. A quote from a British journalist, John Bryant who wrote the book, 3:59.4: The Quest to Break the 4 Minute Mile, puts the sentiment of that time very well;

“For years milers had been striving against the clock, but the elusive four minutes had always beaten them,” he notes. “It had become as much a psychological barrier as a physical one. And like an unconquerable mountain, the closer it was approached, the more daunting it seemed.”

But as most people know, on May 6, 1954, Roger Bannister broke through the four-minute barrier with a time of three minutes, fifty-nine, and four-tenths of a second. Within a year of him breaking this physical and most importantly psychological barrier, several runners had broken it and made an even better time. In fact, the "four-minute barrier" has since been broken by over 1,400 athletes, and is now the standard of professional middle-distance runners.

What I discovered and found was what we are capable of doing is really only limited by our belief to do it.

The Wright brothers also have a remarkable story. Leading up to their record first flight, there were many organizations and individuals who were chasing this fantastic goal of human flight. The others had much better funding, better education, and technical background to support them achieve this goal. In all, realistic scenarios they were most likely to succeed. They had the circumstances on their side.

Yet, on December 17, 1903, the two bicycle mechanics from Dayton, Ohio were the ones to introduce flight to humanity. All because of their belief in themselves and their worthwhile vision despite their circumstance.

I can go on for hours, perhaps days, talking about examples throughout history and even modern times but I’ll spare you the pain of having to sit and read my writing as you’ve already been kind enough to soldier on this far.

But what I want to put across in this article, the seed I want to start germinating in your mind is this, your circumstance does not need to dictate your life. If you have a feeling you can do more, if you have a dream, a project, or perhaps even a girl/ boy you wish to ask out for a date, don’t let your limiting beliefs hold you back. Your circumstance does not need to dictate your life.?

Break down the fear barrier and believe in yourself. You’ll find, on the other side of fear, your true capabilities.?

It all starts with belief.?

...Now to put my running shoes on...