What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?

The biggest barrier to the achievement of our dreams is our own self-doubt — our insecurities. It’s our fears. It’s the way we project negatives into what’s coming. In many cases, we seek out our past failures and drag them into the present–and then toss them out into our unwritten future.

Most children are quite light-hearted and free. Our aunts and uncles, our mothers and fathers, and other people we listen to and believe, tell us we can do anything. In many aspects of our young lives we feel limitless. We take risks. We try new physical activities without worrying about how we look while we’re doing it. We draw pictures and appreciate our art just because it was fun and it filled a little bit of our time. We walked up to strangers, introduced ourselves, and immediately become friends. We just allowed ourselves to be the best that we could be, because our doubts didn’t overly inhibit us.

Taking a risk, doing new activities, stepping up to figuring out a new way, is pretty easy when we don’t have an inner critic blasting us. It’s really all about attitude. Thomas Jefferson said, “Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal, nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.” Young children have the right attitude. Yes, they want to do well, but they don’t get discouraged if it’s not done perfectly. Most things are so new that they are willing to play the “game” and just give it a shot.

What would you do if you absolutely
knew you were going to succeed?

Success does not begin by action, success begins in our mind. Long before action ever takes place we’ve thought about a positive possible outcome. That positive image of possibility awakens a slight feeling of optimism. That feeling will grow in direct proportion to how vibrant and alive our mental image, our vision of possibility, becomes. The more clear and alive the mental image becomes, the more alive and energized you feel about achieving your goal.

Take a moment right now and think of something you are good at. It could be speaking in public, playing tennis, helping your children, gardening, it doesn’t really matter what– just something you’re good at. In a moment I want you to close your eyes and reflect on this. Notice how that positive mental image makes you feel as you think about it.

Picture it vividly, distinctly, in color, just like you are really there right now–looking out of your own eyes. Feel how it lifts you up. It energizes you, and momentarily transports you right to that place. Notice how you can feel that sense of aliveness and positive just like when that event was really happening. Now, pause right here for just a moment to recall the image and notice that sensation.

Setting-Up Success

To give yourself the greatest chance of succeeding, when you began to form the vision of your upcoming event or goal, pay attention to that positive feeling of belief that you can succeed. Allow it to well up within you. Just like when you remembered a success from your past, as you are planning, or beginning to move into a new opportunity, feel that same sense of success.

If there are times when you get bogged down or you feel uncertain about your ability to succeed, pause for just a moment and recall one of those successful times. While feeling that success from the past, switch your thought to what you want to begin, and link that positive past sensation to the new endeavor you are just beginning. You can use your past, to energize your present, thereby creating a better future. When you feel like you are going to succeed, that inner knowing and energy doubles your chances of success.