Belief is one of the building blocks of conscious thought. Our beliefs are at the core of who we are, what we do and the success that we acquire. Do you know what the majority of successful people have in common? They have a strong sense of belief in themselves and their ability to succeed. Most people define beliefs as inward convictions, a feeling of certainty about what something means. A belief is both mental and physical, it is dictated in your mind and your heart. If you believe in a cause, you will fight for it. If you believe in your religion, you will live it. Belief drives us. History is replete with famous people whose belief in a concept or a cause drove them to accomplish remarkable things. Gandhi believed passionately in a free society in India, he gave his life for the cause he believed in. He is famous for saying, “Be the change you wish to see in the world”. Martin Luther King had a dream (belief), that one day all people in the United States would have the same freedoms, and his belief drove him to fight for change, it dictated his actions.
Richard Branson became one of the most successful businessmen of our times. He started his business as a dyslexic seventeen-year-old magazine publisher who knew nothing about publishing. He progressed to a record company owner who knew nothing about music, yet his belief that he could build an empire never wavered.
When it comes to achieving goals and reaching ones full potential, a strong belief in our course of action is essential
“virtually anything can be yours, and you can be anything, if you are able to develop a knowing about it that you don’t ever need to question”.
An understanding of the conscious and subconscious mind helps one get to the core of the power of belief. The subconscious mind works in terms of imagery, so it is requires that we send it pictures of what we want to accomplish. It can then go to work in living up to the mental pictures in front of it and by giving us intuitions about where to go, what to do and who to meet. The subconscious mind is a faithful servant that works constantly to renew, guide and inspire, but in order to get the most out of it, we need to respect and believe in what it can do.
A few months ago, I went to a talk by New Zealand ultra marathon runner Winnie Cosgrove . She is an amazing lady who spoke with passion about her chosen sport and the adversity she had to overcome to be successful. One of her strategies before a big event was to draw a picture of the race she was training for. She would draw an image on the page of her across the finish line with a big “first place” trophy. As the race drew closer she would add to the picture by drawing her competitors well behind her, features of the course, times she would reach each stage etc. She built a strong physical picture of the challenge ahead of her, and her subconscious mind responded by making it become a reality. Somehow, the subconscious is connected to all other minds, and through the law of radiation and attraction it can attract events and people to you that will assist in making your dreams reality. However, it will only find ways to make the image real if that image is clear and convincing – hence the importance of the mental pictures. The force of belief cannot really work in our favour until the belief becomes literally part of us, settled in the subconscious mind as a fact.
Make your dreams real by talking about them and sharing them with friends. Spend time writing down your goals and the steps you need to take to achieve them. The more you believe in your vision, the easier it becomes to make it
“If you believe it, you can achieve it” – Martin Luther King