Mr. Achievement - Stanley F. Bronstein - Personal Development BlogPersonal Development Blog of the Founder of the Achievement IQ Movement and Creator of the Laws of Positioning

If You Believe You Can Do A Thing,
Or Do Not Believe You Can Do A Thing,
Either Way, You Are Right
(Henry Ford)

The Most Important Thing You Can Learn

AND Teach To Others

Believing in yourself, your abilities, your talents and your ideas is quite possibly, the most important thing you can ever do. A parent who teaches their children to believe in their self, their abilities, their talents and their ideas is giving their children the greatest gift imaginable.

The Difference Between CANNOT and SHOULD NOT

Do not EVER, EVER, EVER let anyone (including yourself) tell you that you cannot do something. While it is perfectly acceptable for someone to express their opinion and say that they believe you should not do something, do not let them say you cannot. There is a big difference between cannot and should not. When your brain hears the word cannot, it believes just that. It believes you are incapable of doing something. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Do not misunderstand me. I realize I should not try to be a professional baseball player because I do not have the physical attributes necessary to be successful in that job. However, I COULD be a professional baseball player if I wanted to. I am capable of being a professional baseball player, but the truth is I would not be a very good one. Consequently, it is not that I cannot be a professional baseball player; it is that I probably should not be a professional baseball player. Do you see the difference?

A Little Homework Exercise

In the space below, list five times in your life and/or in your career when you confidently believed in yourself and the results you achieved.

1. __________________________________________

2. __________________________________________

3. __________________________________________

4. __________________________________________

5. __________________________________________

Now, list five times in your life and/or in your career when you did not confidently believe in yourself and the results you did or did not achieve.

1. __________________________________________

2. __________________________________________

3. __________________________________________

4. __________________________________________

5. __________________________________________

Now, compare the two lists.

Which results would you prefer? Most people will realize that they have achieved better results in their life and/or career during those periods when they believe in themselves, their abilities, their talents and their ideas.

Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve. (W. Clement Stone)