Hero (15 page)

LAIRD HAMILTON

I truly believed I could achieve my dream. I couldn’t have achieved what I’ve been able to do without truly believing it. Now, it doesn’t mean I didn’t have doubt, because doubt is ever-present, always looming and circling and trying to get a hold of you. But I didn’t embrace the doubt.

Believing in yourself doesn’t mean there won’t be moments where you question your ability to achieve your dream. In those moments of doubt, just bring your mind back to the very next step you have to take, because you’ll find it’s easier to believe you can take the next tiny step rather than have your head spinning with the whole journey ahead. And when you think about it, you can only take one step at a time on the Hero’s Journey, and one step at a time is all that every successful person took.

When you’re feeling happy, your belief will be strong. If you’re feeling tired, discouraged, under the weather, or lacking energy, that’s when doubts come in. Everyone has those moments, so remind yourself that the way you’re feeling is temporary, and it
will
pass. That’s why it’s so important to follow your bliss every day, because in doing that you will be happy, and as a consequence, your belief will be strong.

G. M. RAO

You have to invest belief in your dream; be confident that what you want is simply the best thing in the world for you. Without that belief, what follows is a halfhearted approach without effort, determination, or persistence. Many times, the fear of failure is behind this lack of conviction.

MASTIN KIPP

My mom told me I can do anything I set my mind to. So I literally believed her. I knew from the beginning that when I really set my mind to something, something big will happen.

LAIRD HAMILTON

My mother believed that I could walk on water. Her belief was less about the goal and more that I could be a good person, but that gave me the strength to believe in myself. Everybody who’s got somebody who believes in them has got to hold on to that person. That’s the person they need to be around.

ANASTASIA SOARE

A little thing will change your life. These were more innocent times, but I vividly remember when I was six years old in my mother and father’s tailor shop, one day my mother said: “You remember every time I take you to the shop? I will write on a piece of paper what to buy and give you the money. You take the bus, and count six stops. Make sure you ask the driver if it’s the right stop.” I said, “Mom, I’m six years old! I don’t know…” “No, you are smart. You can do it.” I was a little afraid, but you know what was in my mind? She said that I am smart and I could do it, and if she said that then I am smart. I came back, and I will never forget the smile on her face. She said, “I told you you’re smart and you could do it. I’m so proud of you.”

MICHAEL ACTON SMITH

Self-belief is easier when you start with supportive parents, but it’s definitely not impossible to do it without them.

Even if you didn’t have a parent who helped you instill belief in yourself, there was someone in your childhood who believed in you. It could have been a relative, grandparent, neighbor, teacher, or sibling, but there was definitely at least one person who believed in you when you were growing up. And whether that person is still alive or not, you literally have all the support in the world available to you now.

When you decide to follow your dream, the Universe will support you and provide you with every circumstance, every person, and everything else you need to make your dream come true. And the way to leverage the Universe is to use your subconscious mind to believe!

LAIRD HAMILTON

Believe things will take care of themselves if you just focus on your mission or your goals, and that you will be provided for because of the effort you put forth.

MASTIN KIPP

Make a list of who inspires you, and then write out what about that person inspires you. Is it their tenacity? Is it how much they give? Is it their bank account? Is it their brand? Is it what they’ve done to the world? Then recognize that the thing that inspires you about that person is actually a part of yourself.

LIZ MURRAY

We learn by doing, and so if you can place yourself in situations, through experiential learning you can rebuild self-esteem and you can shift your belief system. You can do things that previously didn’t seem possible because you had no example of it in your life. It’s almost like a muscle memory. So new experiences can bring us to new belief.

Your belief will increase and strengthen with every step you take and every experience you have on the Hero’s Journey, as you discover for yourself what you are truly capable of.

Believe in your dream and believe in you, because you are a hero, and the hero within you doesn’t just believe you can achieve your dream – it
knows
you will!