Writer Norman Cousins tells about a football game at which a doctor found himself treating five spectators for stomach disorder. Each complained of nausea, dizziness and cramps. Upon checking, the doctor learned that all five had previously consumed soft drinks from the arena’s concession stands. In the interest of protecting public safety, an announcement was made to the crowd that it would be wise to forego drinks in the stadium because certain people were becoming ill.
By the third quarter of the game, 200 people – all of whom had been slurping sodas – were reporting the same symptoms. Half of these hurried off to a nearby hospital. Later in the afternoon the doctor determined that his five original patients had also eaten potato salad from the same delicatessen on the way to the game. The potato salad, not the drinks, was apparently the culprit.
An announcement was made. Almost immediately those who were sick felt remarkably better. The fans taken to the hospital were sent home as their symptoms quickly disappeared.
All of this goes to show the tremendous power of belief. What we believe to be true will often become true.
The power of our beliefs will dramatically affect our future. Like automaker Henry Ford said, "Whether you think you can or not, you are right." If you believe you will succeed or fail, you are probably right. If you believe strongly enough that something good or bad will surely happen to you, it likely will.
Mahatma Gandhi found this principle to be true in his own experience. "If I believe I cannot do something, it makes me incapable of doing it," the Indian leader said. "But when I believe I can, then I acquire the ability to do it, even if I did not have the ability in the beginning."
Where did that ability come from? Was it the sheer power of his belief that gave him the capacity to do what seemed impossible? He was sure that was the case.
Your belief is power. And probably more than any other single factor, your belief that something just might be possible … can bring about what you want in life.
Believe it.
-- Steve Goodier
Image: flickr.comThai Jasmine
