Posted by TerryS (24.24.79.72) on January 22, 2001 at 19:01:00:
BELIEVE IT!
Writer Norman Cousins used to tell about a football game at which
a doctor found himself treating five spectators for stomach
disorder. Each complained of nausea, dizziness and cramps. Upon
checking, the doctor learned that all five had previously
consumed soft drinks from the concession stands. In the interest
of protecting public safety, an announcement was made to the
crowd that it would be wise to forego drinks in the stadium
because certain people were becoming ill.
By the third quarter of the game, 200 people were reporting the
same symptoms. Fully half of them were taken to a nearby
hospital. Later in the afternoon the doctor determined that his
five original patients had eaten potato salad from the same
delicatessen on the way to the game. The potato salad, not the
drinks, was apparently the culprit.
Word was spread and those who were sick immediately began to feel
better. The fans taken to the hospital were sent home as their
symptoms quickly disappeared. Which all goes to show the
tremendous power of belief. What we believe to be true will often
become true. And not only in matters of health.
The power of our beliefs will dramatically affect those important
decisions we make. Like automaker Henry Ford said, "Whether you
think you can or not, you are right." If you believe you will
succeed or fail, you are probably right. If you believe strongly
enough that something good or bad will surely happen to you, it
likely will. And if you believe that your life can become no less
than a beautiful work of art, your belief will make it so.
Mahatma Gandhi found this principle to be true in his own
experience. "If I believe I cannot do something, it makes me
incapable of doing it," the Indian leader said. "But when I
believe I can, then I acquire the ability to do it, even if I did
not have the ability in the beginning." Your belief has the power
to marshal needed resources and attract people who can help. That
belief, more than any other single factor, will bring about what
you want in life.
Speaker Nido Qubein put it like this: "If you believe you can,
and believe it strongly enough, you'll be amazed at what you can
do." Believe it!
© 2001 Steve Goodier