MWB #39 - What you believe will determine your life's output

...refine your believes

Hello,

My friend.

I want to share a bit of my story with you today. My goal is that at the end of reading this you would realise how much control you have over your life and how choosing what to believe can influence your life's output.

I've not always been a bright student. When I was preparing for my senior WAEC exam, I didn't read or didn't know how to read well. So I was a bit afraid that I might not pass. But deep down, I had this strong belief that “if those before me passed the exam, I would as well.” Why did I believe that? Simple, I see that we were not much different. They didn't read just as I wasn't reading. For not reading I could have failed. But the belief was strong and it motivated me to do some readings.

In the end, I had just enough credits that were required to gain my University admission. If I'd thought for a moment that I couldn't pass, I would have failed blatantly. The belief made me write things even if I wasn't sure they were correct.

I failed my 1st semester 100 Level exams in the university. After that failure, I simply had to tell myself, David, this is not who you are. You are not someone to fail, you are meant to be outstanding. Yes, I believe that about myself and I didn't need anyone to tell me. And the belief alone was enough.

The following semester, I made the top percentile. Passed well, but I was still mad at myself for not having a perfect grade or near perfect. Yes, I expected that much from myself because I believed that is who I am. And believes are powerful as I would later know.

Later on, in my University years, academic knowledge became insufficient for me. I wanted to know more. So I started picking up books to read. But you know what, in the early years, I could have only two to three books that I carry here and there without reading it all completely. Yet, amidst that reality, whenever I talk about books, I told people I'm a book lover and read a great deal. Since I picked up books to read, I never for once admitted that I am a slow reader or that reading is not for me anything of the sort. Rather, despite my struggles, I believed I am a reader. I believed there's something in books for me to discover. I was right, I am a badass reader. I can read anything and everything. Now, I have lost count of the number of books that I read, not to talk of articles and essays etc. The result of my voracious reading is now well seen in the output of my life.

Once, I believed wrongly about myself. I believed I couldn't pass the PwC entry-level exam in 2018 and so I wasn't going to apply for it. If that belief had persisted (and it was going to persist), I wouldn't be where I am today and maybe I wouldn't be sending you this email. But somehow along the line, a friend reminded me of I truly am and I applied. The rest they say is a story.

I have shared all that to help you realize how I got to where I am today by the simple power of what I believed. If I had believed otherwise at different points in time, I am sure the story would have been radically different.

That’s why I am admonishing you today to check your beliefs. How many times have you hurt yourself, deny yourself opportunities or sabotaged yourself in the past simply because of what you believed about yourself? Like I mentioned last week, why is it hard for you to trust yourself and take a bet on yourself? Why?

It’s probably because you've been having wrong beliefs about yourself and your abilities. I was once there as well and it would have cost me the most beautiful career that I have now. But I had a friend. A friend who reminded me of who I am when it was most significant for my life.

I am your friend today. Reminding you also of who you truly are or let’s say who you truly want to be. Because, yes, belief is not just about who we are (now) alone. It is also pivotal to helping us become who we want to be.

Never believe anything negative about yourself again. Belief doesn’t have to be true now especially if it is something you believe about who you want to be. Whatever the case may be, only believe what you want to be true about yourself. Nothing less.

Share this with your friends as well. Remember how a friend saved me. You may also save someone.

See you next week.