BELIEVE YOU CAN

When you were a child, perhaps you heard the story of "The Little
Engine that Could." From what I recall (I haven't read the story in
ages!), there was a tiny little engine that had to make it's way up a
large mountain pulling many cars of a train. At first, the little
engine thought the task was too big. But then it decided to give it a
try.

All the way up the large mountain the little engine kept repeating, "I
think I can. I think I can. I think I can." Eventually, with time,
patience, and consistent effort, the little engine pulled the train up
over the top of the mountain.

On the way down the other side, the little engine happily repeated, "I
thought I could. I thought I could. I thought I could."

When you take a look at the goals you have for your personal and
business lives, it may seem to you that you have two huge mountains to
go over. You may be feeling a lot like that little engine and think
there is no way you can achieve these goals.

I'm sure you've heard the expression, "You have to see it to believe
it." If this is how you look at life, then you will never get anywhere
you want to go.

The truth is that in order to reach any goal, large or small, "You have
to believe it to see it."

When you envision something in your mind, your mind sees a picture.
Your mind cannot tell the difference between a picture you are creating
in your head and a picture your eyes are looking at. According to your
brain, it's all the same.

Any new action or habit begins with a thought. Whatever thoughts you
repeat over and over in your mind, these will eventually come out of
your mouth. Whatever you speak time and again will translate into
action.

Proverbs 18:21 says, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or
life]" (Amplified Version).

How do you change your actions? You change your thoughts and words.
Positive thoughts and words bring positive action. Negative thoughts
and words bring negative action.

1) Forget all the negative words that have been spoken over you and to
you since you were a child.

2) In your mind, picture yourself achieving your goals. What does it
feel like? What sounds do you hear? Who is there with you? What does
it look like? Remember, your mind cannot tell the difference between
an image and actually seeing something.

3) Go stand before a mirror, look yourself in the eye, and repeat, "I
can do this. I believe in myself."

Do these above steps as often as you can throughout the day. Whenever
you are tempted to say, "This is stupid. This is never going to work.
I've never succeeded at anything - why should this be any different,"
immediately make the conscious choice to say, "I can do this. I believe
in myself."