“If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right.”
- Henry Ford
We all face challenges. And our challenges typically fall under two broad categories: a circumstance, or a person (or a combination of the two). Yet according to Mr. Ford, and a long history of psychological research, there is a third category that just may trump the others: you. Meaning there are times when you are your own worst enemy, and you get in your own way. And that even if circumstances and people are lining up well, you can trip yourself up. There’s also a flipside to this third variable, the power of which is outlined so eloquently by Henry Ford—that we also have the power to overcome the other two variables. That even when circumstances and people seem to be working against you, there is something you may yet be able to do about it. Call it focus, belief, commitment, decisiveness, it’s something that belongs in this equation.
What is the issue in your life? Career? Boss? Health? Family? Relationship? The issues we face in these and other arenas can be very serious. And at the same time, there is this other variable, the “you” variable, which can often seem rather mysterious. Mysterious, yet real.
I’ve seen deals close when it looked like there was no way forward. I’ve seen people change when it seemed impossible. I’ve seen jobs appear when the market seemed utterly closed. And there are the stories of people given no hope by doctors who miraculously recovered.
I was a competitive runner throughout high school and college. Late in one of my races, I had the following four experiences, in this order:
- Feeling like I was going to die
- Knowing I was running all-out and had nothing left
- Hearing another runner advancing from behind
- Deciding I was going to win that race. Deciding I needed to find something, from somewhere, to fight off that other runner. I did. And I won.
After the joy and the recovery, came the wonderment. What had just happened? It seemed like math that didn’t make sense—I knew there was nothing left inside, yet when I decided I needed more, I found more. And I thought about the power that was floating around during that race—the power of pain, the power of exhaustion, and...the power of decisiveness.
If you’re facing a challenge right now—something you want to do but the obstacles seem insurmountable, think about where your mind is. I’m not saying you don’t have very real issues. What I’m saying is that, often mysteriously so, that’s not all that’s going on. And it would be a shame if you didn’t give that third variable a chance—that variable that revolves around you, your thoughts, your decisions.
This week, ask yourself: What am I thinking? What am I deciding?
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