LTM Lesson 3 - Believe You Can

3. Believe You Can

Success requires a can-do attitude like the little blue engine proved in the

classic children’s book, The Little Engine That Could. In 1930, Watty

Piper personified a small engine that truly believed she could pull a long

train over a steep hill.

Constantly repeating her mantra—I think I can! I think I can! I think I

can! —she succeeded. Very soon the train was over the hill and going

down the other side.

How can you be more like the little blue engine and reach your potential?

Your first step is to wipe out limiting beliefs. We all harbor them. John

Assaraf and Murray Smith reported in their book The Answer, that by the

time children reach their 17th birthday they have heard ―No you can’t!‖

150,000 times and ―Yes you can!” only 5,000 times. Combining mistakes

and failures with a focus on faults and weaknesses in an environment of

negative people creates a rich breeding ground for self-doubt.

Perhaps the most common of all limiting beliefs is the idea that you can’t

reach a certain level of success. On a success scale of 1-10, you may

think you can make it to a 7 but not a 10. If someone else has reached a

10, why can’t you? Really! Think about it. Why can’t you?

Once the seed of a limiting belief is planted in the mind, it’s generally

fertilized with negative self-talk. When the internal dialogue really gets

going, you say things like, ―I can’t do anything right,‖ or “I could never

do that,” or ―I can’t make good decisions.” These statements are all

false, yet you allow yourself to think they are true.

Many of these self-limiting statements are simply excuses for something

someone would rather not do or is fearful of doing. For instance,

someone says, ―I could never stand in front of people and give a

presentation.” Unless they literally can’t speak, they are deceiving

themselves by saying they can’t do it.

The more you make these types of false statements, the more you will

believe them. Soon you’ll experience a downward spiral of negativity.

To get beyond the barriers of self-limiting beliefs, ask yourself this

question: If I were paid a million dollars to figure out a way to do a task,

could I do it? If your answer is yes, then with focus and hard work you

are capable of eliminating negative beliefs.

In your quest to achieve your goals, be confident in who you are and in

your abilities. Don’t allow self-defeating thoughts to limit your

opportunities or prevent you from searching for solutions. Reach for the

stars! Give all you’ve got and don’t look back.

LTM Challenge

Starting today be aware of the times when you say, “I can’t” or any other

self-limiting statement. When you find yourself saying such negative

things, immediately challenge yourself to do the very thing you said you

couldn’t do. As you begin doing the very things you said you could not

do, your confidence will grow and you will feel great about the person

you are becoming.

If you believe you can, you can.

If you believe you can’t, you can’t.