#43 Belief, Action, and Expectations

I'm going to start off with Abraham Lincoln.  "To believe in the things you can see and touch is no belief at all, but to believe in the unseen is a triumph and a blessing."  

Belief

That's where belief comes in.  You have to believe that it's possible.  Even though I didn't understand how it was going to happen, I had to believe that I could make my dream come true.  When I was shoveling coal and stacking lumber, I had to believe that I could make my dream a reality.  But I couldn’t see it.

That's why I love that quote.  I couldn't see it.  I couldn't touch it.  No one could show it to me, but it was still there.  It can be hard to articulate or understand, but that’s the level you must get to.  You have to ask yourself, “Is that possible?”

Action

Then it comes down to action.  Now you believe, but what action are you taking?  You can’t “kind of” want it, you have to be all-in.  Aggressive and consistent action based around your beliefs.  Why?  Because you don’t know where it’s going to go. 

Take my initial belief that I could own my own gym and be a personal trainer in Columbus.  Do you think I thought for one fucking second that it could have went to the level that it did?  Do you think when I was sitting on the back porch at Arnold Schwarzenegger's house, smoking a cigar, as his business partner, that I could conceptualize what could happen later down the line?

The answer is NO.  That being said, I knew that I could somehow make my way into the industry.  The actions around my beliefs weren’t bullshit.  I was full-go aggressive.  Consistent action made my reality.

Expectation

Many miss the mark with expectations.  I don’t know if it’s necessarily a confidence thing, or that I was born a certain way.  I think I achieved what I achieved over time.  I expect for something to work.  I always go in with an optimistic mentality.  If I believe that it’s possible and I put action around it, then why would I expect it not to fucking work?  You see what I’m saying?  I expect for it to work.

Together, these three variables give me the best chance for success.