SEEING IS BELIEVING – OR IS IT?

“I’ll believe it when I see it.” If you wait to see something before you will believe it, who created it? 

When Star Trek first aired in the 1960s, there was no such thing as a tiny wireless communication device, so people didn’t believe in them or believe they could ever have one.  But certain technical people believed the possibility was real, not fiction, and created mobile phones. Then people believed in them and got one for themselves. 

When athlete and medical student Roger Bannister resolved to run a mile in under 4 minutes, the medical profession said it was impossible and the body would collapse under the pressure. Other athletes believed the doctors’ opinion and wouldn’t even attempt it, but not Bannister. He believed he could do it, put himself through a training program, and in 1954 he ran one mile in 3 minutes 59.4 seconds. Once he had proved it was possible, all athletes believed it and immediately more and more began to achieve it too. Over 1,400 athletes have now broken that barrier.  Bannister became famous for proving an important lesson:  Believing is seeing. First you believe it, then commit to achieving it, and you manifest it in your reality. 

For those who want to wait for someone else to create, invent, prove, discover or achieve something, it seems logical to stick with “I’ll believe it when I see it.” Of course your life can  then only ever be a collage of what other people have shown you is available to you. Bannister showed us that believing something is impossible, is a barrier to achieving it. 

Wouldn’t you rather be the creator of new possibilities that other people can see and believe is possible, inspiring them to new and greater things.  Do you want to create your own destiny, be a leader not a follower, boldly go where no man has been before, push boundaries, explore the unknown, or invent something new, like a scientist?

The very essence of science is to explore new frontiers, question accepted scientific beliefs, rather than see them as fixed and not open to challenge. What we believe to be true now could easily be disproved or turned on its head as a result of new research. Science is never finished!

If you want to be successful, achieve your hearts desire, overcome seemingly impossible obstacles, you need to do what the winners do. They know that to achieve, you have to “believe it before you will see it in your reality .”

All success starts in the mind, as a thought.  As personal-success author Napoleon Hill said, “Whatever man can conceive and believe, he can achieve”. And the key word here is BELIEVE. If you don’t believe it is possible, if you have even the slightest doubt, it will sabotage your efforts. 

The successful business man Henry Ford of motor car fame said “ Whether you think you can, or think you can’t, you’re right.” Again, a way of saying you have to believe to achieve. 

Believing of course is not enough. Now you have to act to bring your belief into fruition. Another trait of successful people is to be totally committed.  A half hearted approach doesn’t work. This is a very black and white issue. There are no shades of grey. You can no more be a bit committed than you can be a bit pregnant. 

This is not cutting edge science, rather it is ancient, recent and current wisdom. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, an 18th Century scientist and playwright captures the true power of 100% commitment in this quote:

“At the moment of commitment the entire universe conspires to assist you.”

Many self development writers today encourage 100% commitment saying that your task then becomes easy, but even 95% commitment will be a struggle. So why do it the hard way?  

If you are convinced, let’s talk about how to apply Believing is Seeing in your everyday life.  

1. So in order to manifest what you want and desire into your reality, you must believe it is possible for you … before you will ever see it!  To help you, consider this quote from Aristotle: “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” If you can contemplate the idea, that’s enough. Your mind will accept whatever you tell it. Your mind doesn’t care whether what you tell it is true or false, right or wrong, good or bad, helpful or unhelpful.  It will accept anything you keep on telling it, until it becomes a belief. A belief is something that you choose to act as if it’s true. It’s your truth. It may or may not be true. It is also not fixed. You beliefs are yours to make and yours to change. 
2. Be 100% committed to do whatever is necessarily to make that happen. Every single day, take relevant action, no matter how small, towards your goal. Leave your mind in no doubt that you want it and quitting is not an option. 
3. Use specific and exciting words to describe what you want. Imagine or picture in your mind what that looks like. See a future version of yourself with goal achieved. The mind needs to know precisely what you want. Some of the most powerful words are: “I want this.” “I’m choosing this.” “I love it.” “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be. ” Make the most vivid picture you can. If you’re not visual, that’s ok. The words are the most important and your mind will imagine what you are saying in your own way. 
4. Describe it in the present tense…’ I am …..I have… I am doing…. ‘  as if you have it already and be sure to let yourself feel the thrill and delight that it brings you right now. “I feel amazing.” “I am exhilarated and elated.” It is important to feel good as you think about having your goal already achieved. When you’ve ordered something online, your mindset is that you already have it, you’re expecting it to turn up. You need to develop that exact same attitude. “I did it.” “It already exists.” “It’s mine and I’m excitedly expecting it.”

I’ll end with an example from a very successful person, famous for his powerful language. Muhammad Ali born Cassius Marcellus Clay 1942 – 2016 was an American professional boxer, activist, entertainer, poet and philanthropist. Nicknamed The Greatest, he is widely regarded as one of the most significant and celebrated sports figures of the 20th century. He is frequently ranked as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time.

Ali did not talk about the power of words, he excelled at using it. Unlike other boxers that let their managers speak for them, he spoke to the media. Using vivid, colourful and gripping poetic language he described exactly how he was going to defeat his opponent, and in which round. 

Not only did this reinforce his own unshakeable belief and confidence, he was able to plant the imagery in his opponent’s mind, and they would begin to believe it too, undermining their own confidence. Opponents confided that he would continue the word game even during the fight. 

Against all odds, Ali won a title fight against heavyweight champion George Foreman. Ali came in as a 4–1 underdog against the previously unbeaten, heavy-hitting Foreman. 

Here’s what Ali was saying in interviews before that fight. 

“I’ve done something new for this fight. I done wrestled with an alligator, I done tussled with a whale; handcuffed lightning, thrown thunder in jail; only last week, I murdered a rock, injured a stone, hospitalized a brick; I’m so mean I make medicine sick

Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. His hands can’t hit what his eyes can’t see. Now you see me, now you don’t. George thinks he will, but I know he won’t.”

Copy the winners, and you can win too. Believing is Seeing. 

Christine 💜