The Power of Belief

We all know the classic story The Little Engine That Could from our childhood. The story has so many philosophical principals in it it's incredible; from persistence, to focus and drive, to the power of positive thinking. The principal I want to hit on right now is belief.

Belief is a huge factor in whether you have success in your goals or not. You must believe or there is no way you will put in your full effort. If in the back of your mind you are thinking "this will never work", you are going to struggle. After all, why would you work so hard on something when you "know" it will never work out anyway? Here are the key areas of belief you must have:

1. Belief in yourself - You must believe in yourself if you have any hope in succeeding and reaching your goals. If you do not believe in yourself, that you can and will actually accomplish what you are set out to do, then you will never come close to what you are capable of. Without full belief in yourself you will constantly be in a struggle to take the steps that are necessary to climb to the top of your mountain because you will always be thinking that the effort is in vain because you don't actually think you will get to the top. This belief is the cornerstone to all of the others. If you don't believe in yourself it doesn't matter how great your belief is in the other areas, because you will simply never put in the full effort.
2. Belief in possibility - Similar to belief in yourself, you have to believe in the possibilities out there, and that there is a ton of opportunity if you just go out and get it. If you don't believe there are possibilities, then again you will not put forth the effort.
3. Belief in abundance - You also have to believe that there is abundant opportunity; that there is plenty to go around. If you don't, instead of seeking help and advise, you will try to go it alone and hoard information and opportunity. Success is a collaborative experience, and takes the efforts of many. Sure there are many "self-made" millionaires, but ask any of them and they will tell you they had a great team around them to get them to where they are. Without the belief that there is abundance and plenty to go around, you can't work together with others in an effective manner to get higher results.
4. Belief in your "why" - You have to belief that your "why", your reason for achievement, is a worthy goal. Money alone will not fuel a belief enough to keep you going. Instead, think deeper about why you have the goals you have. Who do you want to impact? What kind of legacy to you want to leave? If money is a goal, don't think just about the money, but what will the money mean  to you? What will it help you accomplish as far as helping others? What will the money get you -and I don't mean material possessions; that's the same line of thinking as just the money itself - does it get you more time with your family? Does it help you be in a position to start the business you've always wanted to start? Does it give you freedom? Know what you are chasing, but you must also know why you are chasing it.
5. Belief in your system - There are many ways to build wealth, especially with all of the modern conveniences and the way technology has changed how we do things and the opportunities it has created. But you need a system in place to be successful. Success isn't an accident. Success requires thought, planning and strategic action steps. You have to set up your system, whatever it is, and you have to believe it will work. This doesn't mean you can't tweak it along the way, but it does mean that you have to have faith that you are headed in the right direction, and that with adjustments along the way, it will work. Whether the system is one that was taught to you by a mentor, or something you've come up with from your own research, you have to believe that the efforts will pay off.
6. Belief in others - Ok, I admit, this one can be hard because let's face it, people let us down. But you have to believe in others and believe they can help you or you will be trying to do everything on your own, and if you are doing that you are severely limiting your ceiling of success. You simply can't know or do it all, so you have to trust others to help you. This includes advisers, business partners, mentors and the like. Believe that there are people out there that do want to help you and see you become successful. Seek those people out, bring something to the table, and have faith you can help each other in your endeavors.