“A bird
sitting on a tree is never afraid of the shaking branches, because its trust is
not on the branch, but on its wings.”
This very popular and often repeated
statement whose author is unknown, speaks clearly and precisely to
the power of believing in oneself. The
greatest failing that the human being can ever experience is the tendency to
get locked into a negative mode, and spend his life thinking only of his losses
and failings, rather than counting the successes and all the good things that
happened along the way. In complete contrast, the bird, free from the shackles
of the fears and inadequacies that bind the human mind, and having implicit
faith in its wings to lift it aloft on demand, remains undisturbed whatever the
circumstances.
The truth is that in this world that we
all share, obsessed as it is with the need for conformity, we have been conditioned
throughout our lives to doubt our own instincts and instead, trust others. We
are constantly encouraged to be careful before we attempt anything, to be
guided by what others are thinking, to follow the rules, and to avoid taking
chances and risk failure. We are influenced by our own fears and doubts into
believing that we are not capable of being the persons we want to be, or to
achieve the things we dream of achieving. As a result, guided by what others
indicate, we are persuaded to accept less than we hoped for, and that we are
not able of fulfilling our own expectations, without other people’s guidance. By
any measure, this self-inflicted disease of low self-esteem and reduced trust
in oneself, is the single, most disastrous disorder of that can afflict any man.
When we look in the mirror, the image
we actually see of ourselves is never a true reflection of us, but one that is
largely modified by what we have learned from our exposure to our environment.
It is instead a reflection of the influence of our parents, teachers, contacts
and the prevailing attitudes of the society, all of which served to mold our
character and affect our self-image. Our true self-image in contrast, has it
foundation on our own innate personality make-up, our unique interpretation of
events around us, and our own representation of ourselves and our interactions
with others. It is this dichotomy between what is expected of the individual by
others, and what he expects of himself that has created so much doubt,
insecurity and fear of anticipation, and has served to effectively suppress the
inborn instinct of belief in one’s ability. Bruce
Lee, the highly accomplished Chinese-American actor, a martial arts expert
and an acknowledged philosopher in his own right, explained this most
effectively when he advised:
“Always be yourself, express
yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful
person and duplicate it.”
Even
a cursory review of the records of any of the extremely successful people who
have shaped history, and left, for good or for evil, indelible marks on the
world, will reveal without exception, that the
fundamental engine of their success was their unshakeable belief in themselves.
In whatever they undertook, their success benefitted greatly from the self-confidence
they brought to bear, their willingness to get up over and over again when they
failed or when they encountered setbacks, and their unwavering courage to
ensure the fulfillment of their hopes and dreams. Their belief in themselves
was the single most important force that created in them a vision that
withstood the numerous obstacles along the way, and carried them to success. Sylvester Stallone, the very successful
film actor, whose life overflows with stories of overcoming impossible
obstacles, described the setting in sharp and personal terms:
“No one
will hit you harder than life itself. It does not matter how hard you hit back,
it’s about you what can take and keep fighting; how much you can suffer and
keep moving forward. That’s how you win!”
History has repeatedly shown that the
human mind, if left on its own, is a powerful instrument capable of producing
and delivering great things through the power of positive expectation. Unfortunately,
this instinct has been greatly compromised by the continuous influence of the
external milieu. The fact is that everything that man has ever achieved has
resulted from a deep belief in himself, and the belief that the task, however
challenging, can be achieved. We should never ever lose sight of this, for when
we do, we are condemned to mediocrity. As Napoleon
Bonaparte, the outstanding French statesman and military leader who
conquered most of Europe, so wisely noted:
“Until you spread your wings, you’ll
have no idea how far you can fly.”
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