Nobody Stumbles Into Success

Nobody stumbles into success. No pianist who doesn’t know their part expects to nail it live. No wide receiver who isn’t expecting the ball can make the catch. No creative who doesn’t believe they will be successful will be successful.

You have to believe in yourself. It doesn’t matter if your parents believe in you. It doesn’t matter if your friends gas up your work all the time. It doesn’t matter if you have a diploma proving how much potential you have. If you don’t believe in yourself, success just won’t happen.

This is why everyone quotes the study about your likelihood of success skyrocketing if you write down your goals. Because there has to be a vision first. There has to be a frame in your mind of what success could look like for you to be ready to snatch it when it comes your way. I’ve known people with endless potential who simply dropped the baton of success when it came their way. Because there was not even a foggy imagination in their mind that it could be possible in the first place.

The sad part is, no one can teach you this. You have to develop it on your own, and cultivate it, and protect it from despair’s thorny vines. The wonderful part is, no one can take it away from you. If you can see it in your mind, no matter how improbable or unlikely or unqualified, then it’s possible. And if something similar comes your way, you have a chance to grab success.