What we believe is the most powerful lens in the world. It goes beyond any technology man has ever developed. It filters out, distorts, sharpens, softens and expands. In order to understand anything about ourselves and empower our future it is paramount that we begin the conversation here.
In the words of Henry David Thoreau, “It doesn’t matter what you look at. It matters what you see.” Your beliefs create your vision. They determine what you see. What do you believe? Unsure? Think about what you see.
Your belief system is your window to the world. If your mind is closed to something, the window is closed and you are missing everything out there – not just one part of it. If you allow every thought and influence that you encounter to influence your beliefs, it is like every piece of dust and debris staying on your window. You have to see “through” everything to get to whatever sliver of truth you can discern. What is distorting, distracting and even shielding your view?
What we believe we are capable of doing is the single most important influence on what we try to do. No matter how badly you want something, the probability of you achieving your desire is going to be equally proportionate to your belief in whether you can achieve it. Desire is not enough. To achieve the right answer, belief must be part of the equation.
Named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century, Sir Edmund Hillary had this offering on the subject after being one of the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest: “It was not the mountain we conquered, but ourselves.” Each of us at some point, perhaps even now faces our own Mount Everest. Each of us will need to conquer our own disbelief before we can reach the summit.
Wayne Dyer, a contemporary thought leader shares this: “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” It is also true that if you change the things you look at, it will change the way you look at things. The key is that everything about us generates from our belief system and it defines what we see and how we perceive it.
What is powerful about that statement is that it reveals another truth about beliefs. They are not just a lens. They are also a magnet. What we believe draws us to thoughts, ideas and even people. The inverse is also true. What we believe attracts thoughts, ideas and people to us.
No discussion on the topic would be complete without considering Henry Ford who had more than a few naysayers in his world. It was his unwavering belief in his idea about how a transport vehicle could be powered that resulted in perhaps one of the greatest innovations of at least my generation. Here’s what he said when everything told him it couldn’t be done: “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.” I’m certainly glad he believed he could. And that he did.
Live today like you want tomorrow to be.
Live (Believe) well.