Motivational Skills For Leadership
"Our belief has the power to create and the power to destroy" – Anthony Robbins
There is nothing as powerful as the power of commitment, the power of persistence and the power of great desire to get what you want. Have you heard of a person called Roger Bannister? Well, he sure had all these attributes.
Before 1954, nobody had ever run a mile in under four minutes. Nobody believed it could be done as they believed that it was beyond human potential. Roger Bannister, a 25-year-old medical student from Britain, became the first person who ran the mile in less than four minutes. His remarkable official time was 3 minutes 59 seconds. Before that race, he had been training consistently and had planned to run the mile in less than four minutes. The journey and race was carefully planned and practiced, with the aid of two pacemakers, Chris Brasher and Chris Chataway.
Weeks before the race, Bannister had been training diligently in high winds and cold temperatures. The weather at the track and field was by no means ideal, let alone conducive for breaking records. There were often 15 mph crosswinds with short gusts of up to 25 mph. Initially, Bannister had wanted to give up and call off the race. But there were about 3,000 spectators whom he did not have the heart to disappoint.
During the race, Brasher was his first pacemaker and about 200 yards from the finishing line, Bannister took the lead with a final burst of energy. After he completed the race, he not only dispelled the notion that the four minute mile would never be broken, but also beat his closest rival, Australian athlete John Landy, to the record. In his heart, he had never doubted himself and his abilities.
The best thing is, the year after his achievement, more than 100 people also achieved the same milestone. Why was that so? It was simply because they had a reference they could benchmark themselves against. The Four-Minute Record was no longer a limiting standard for people. People started to believe that they too could run that distance under four minutes.
It is important that when you set your mind to do something, do not let others' negative comments limit your own beliefs. When you think it is possible, you can be sure you will be able to overcome whatever obstacles that stand in your way.
A belief system is a set of core values and firm beliefs that affect our every day decision-making. These values can be classified as a "set of rules" which you live by every single day. If someone told you that he saw a purple elephant that had eight legs in the zoo that day, would you just take his word for it? You would probably question his sanity. This is because your belief system, coupled the references that you have accumulated since young, tell you that elephants are grey and four-legged.
Everybody subscribes to a belief system, regardless whether it helps us to better manage our lives. However, sometimes, one's belief system may have negative impact on one's life. Most people subconsciously take their beliefs for granted and cruise through life unaware that every decision they make will affect them, their closest friends, or even strangers either directly or indirectly.
Fortunately, there is a way in which we can redefine these belief systems into core values that we would like to acquire. As a result, we would be able to see a clearer picture that would help us achieve the fulfilling life that we desire.
When we were born, we knew not what is hot, cold, soft, bright or dark. Through sheer experimentation and, trial and error, we evolve into beings learning to absorb pieces of information, to work with others, move about in the world. As a result, our consciousness is expanded, and we attempt to become what we desire. Note that we must first know what we want before we can determine what we want to become and where we want to go.
To identify your belief system, ask yourself what are the things or values that you hold dear in life. Is it having more money? Being happy? Or having tonnes of friends? Would it be the food we enjoy eating? Creating a warm and loving family? Carving a successful career? All the above are example which you might base your decision-making process on. They provide a foundation for analyzing and classifying your life experiences. To find out more, you can check out Motivational Skills For Leadership.
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