The Believe You Can
Corporate wisdom from the side of a dumpster
 |
There’s large green dumpster behind the school near my house. On this dumpster there’s a large vinyl sticker that reads “BELIEVE YOU CAN”.
At the time of writing, I’m unsure whether this is an invitation or a noun.
An invitation would suggest ‘believe that you can do _______’ while giving no indication of what ________ is.
Or, is this a ‘Believe you can’ - a magical place where the schools send the dreams of their students.
Based on my experience with the educational industrial complex, I tend to think that this is a noun.
Sally, please remember to drop off your dreams at the Believe You Can before heading home
When it comes to achievement, how much is dependent upon belief?
How much does action depend upon belief?
How about success?
Rather than ‘Believe you can’, how about ‘keep going’?
Results come from actions rather than beliefs
One Derful Thing
Make a list of things that you believed you could do before attempting them.
Can you do them now?
How have your beliefs in your abilities been helpful?
How have they gotten in your way?
Have you ever done something that you couldn’t believe that you would be able to finish before starting?
What’s the relationship like between action and belief for you?
I love this question. I’d say success is the result of luck, privilege and yes, you’re right, perseverance. I think of two things (well, a lot of things but let’s say two): the piece I read about the importance of telling children family stories, how the more tales they hear the better off they are, the more options they have to live into, the higher capacity for problem solving they have; and my frustration with the bootstrap mentality. When I was on City Council I often encountered people who really wanted other people to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. Interestingly, apparently when that phrase was coined it was originally an illustration of the impossible as in, “you could have as soon done that as pull yourself up by your own bootstraps,” because you can’t actually use gravity against itself like that, but then something changed and we started requiring what’s literally impossible from our most vulnerable and disadvantaged populations. When your mom’s a meth addict you’re unlikely to have the tools or vision to succeed at playing the game the rest of us play. Why buy into the social contract at all. I understand why they sometimes don’t. Anyway, I guess what I’m trying to say is that belief reveals doors and opens them, but you still have to walk through them. Still, that first part is pretty important.
A favourite topic. If you didn't think you could, would you even try? Why not? My first karate class (as an obese woman in her mid-forties) involved a flying snap kick. I didn't think I could do one well, but I could do SOMETHING. And my seven year old son was watching. If I didn't give it my all, what was I telling him about life? I gave it my all. I can only imagine what it looked like. (I still cringe when I see the dancing hippos in Fantasia). I had a charlie horse and a couldn't walk straight for a full week. He said I did awesome. Eventually, ie after years, I had some moves, could throw a large man, land a punch to just just touch a gui and not touch the opponent at pull power and half speed. It wasn't so much about belief as it was about showing up. The desire to have the experience resulted in action and sustained action resulted in accomplishment. Beliefs are just thoughts you continue to think. They can change if you change your thinking. "I can't do that....Are you 100% sure you can't? I'm not 100% sure of anything...so let's try.") Desire and sustained action are the Holy Grail of change.