What do you think when you read that? It can be a little bit scary, because if we believe that, then there would be nothing stopping us from achieving our wildest dreams. It is so much “safer” to think small, to limit our goals and dreams. Less likely to fail that way, right?
But what if you did believe you were more powerful than you think you are?
Sally Dunbar, team leader of HandsUpForHooters.com, learned to believe this, by breaking down her goal. She was registering for a Susan G. Komen 3-day walk and the registration asks you for your fundraising goal. She thought about putting down $25,000, which would have been amazing. Then she thought that maybe she could raise $50,000! But Sally went big, she put down $100,000 as her fundraising goal and hit send before she could stop herself with a limiting belief.
What happened next was a lesson in goal achievement. She had to break it down. She did not think she could raise $100,000 by herself, she needed a team to reach this goal. She figured out how many walkers she would need, how much each would have to raise, and accounted for attrition and then she took her first step. Reaching out to friends and asking them to join her team, then asking friends of friends, putting together a training schedule… many small steps went into implementing this goal. What happened? Not only did Sally’s team raise $100,000, they exceeded the goal by over $40,000!
I know that we each have the potential to be more than we believe we can be. Our limiting beliefs, our assumptions about what is possible can hold us back from achieving our dreams.
Here are some steps to help you Believe in Your Power.
1. Embrace what you think is Impossible. Focus on what is possible now, while holding onto the bigger dream. What is one thing you can do now, that will move your closer to your dream? Do that one thing.
2. Think about a past success. For me, I think about when I went back to college as a single Mom. That was one of the hardest things I ever did. There were many times I felt like giving up. I had a goal of getting a degree. And I had champions who believed in me and helped me get back to believing in myself.
3. Think like a child. Remember when you were a kid? You could be king of the mountain! You could create plays, write stories, be a famous singer, invent a cure for cancer. You believed all of these possibilities as a child. Then people started telling you to be “realistic.” Be “practical.” Slowly you stopped believing you could become or do some of the things you believed in then. I suggest that you start listening to that child inside you who dreamed BIG. Drown out the nay-sayers and trust in your inner voice, your inner child.
4. Surround yourself with others who believe in you. I think this is one of the most important gifts you can give yourself. We may face failures, fears, self-doubts. But if we have people around us who pick us back up, we can keep moving forward