Believe In Yourself
“You have to believe in yourself, that’s the secret. Even when I was in the orphanage, when I was roaming the street trying to find enough to eat, even then I thought of myself as the greatest actor in the world.” – Charlie Chaplin
I met some great people at the event I attended this past weekend. I had a wonderful dinner with one of the partners of a business that was pitching on Saturday. The partner made some errors with her pitch and I know that it bothered both of them deeply.
As we were leaving the event I asked if they had signed up for Marcia Weider’s dream workshop on 6/23. They had and we were talking about having dinner afterwards or the night before, she wasn’t sure when they would arrive. Then in response to a comment I made about looking for referrals to help with the business, she said that I needed to write out an outline and get really clear about what I was doing, because after 3 days of talking to me she still didn’t understand what I wanted to do. After all she said, they had just made a presentation and the one person on the panel that they most wanted to impress, had just told them that she didn’t understand exactly what they did.
I thanked her for the advice, but was crushed inside. On the 2 hr drive home I thought about what she had said, and while I am sure that I have a lot of work to do in getting clear on my message in the matter of conciseness, I don’t really think that anyone who has heard me speak about my vision, would say they don’t understand it at all. It was her own internalized pain speaking out, and I just happened to be handy.
I share this because on the road to bringing a vision to reality, we will all have things said and/or done to us that crush us momentarily. Not everything will be true, but I do believe that everything that is said or done can be used to make us a better vehicle for our vision. It all comes down to believing in yourself and your vision so strongly that even if no one else can see it, we can. And that belief coupled with action can bring that vision into reality.
A second important point is in looking at the how Charlie Chaplin saw the world and then interpreted it into his acting. Everything has a gift in it. So bonus quote is the quote from “The Universe” that came today – “For every setback, disappointment and heartbreak, sheryl, ask yourself, “What does this create the opportunity for?” And therein you will find its gift. Everything has a reason”, The Universe
Would Charlie Chaplin have been the great actor he was if he hadn’t experienced the orphanage and trying to find enough to eat? Maybe, maybe not, but he certainly saw the gift and used it. So what do you do when someone consciously or unconsciously steps on your dream in some way? Do you give up, walk away, and call it a day? Or do you look for the gift and the opportunity?
