Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right. - Henry Ford

A great quote by Henry Ford. There are plenty of other quotes about the role of belief in people's ability to accomplish things. 

In my experience, they are 100% true.

Now, if you can somehow trick yourself into thinking you can fly, that's not what I'm talking about.

However, there are many situations I have found myself in where I found myself delaying something or not doing it because I thought "I don't know how". 

Even after 53 years of living, I still play that game with myself. I'm convinced my idea for a podcast is sound, but I put all sorts of things in front of it, because of fear and a goofy internal dialog. 

It was no different when I started Omega nearly 18 years ago. Did I have a clue? No, I did not. But I just kept pushing myself forward. One more call, one more item on the list, until I was just doing it. If there was an inflection point, I have no idea what it was. 

The moral of my story. The best way to gain the "think you can", is to do it. Fail, but try. Try again. With every increment of effort you'll get better, and your confidence will increase. 

If you want to have your own business, then break it into "bite-sized" pieces. One at a time, try and master them. The process of doing that gives you not only the skill to start a business - it also gives you the confidence, the belief. 

Perhaps you truly can't today, but with effort inability will go away.

The biggest obstacle to your success is in your mind.

   Occasionally I get involved in conversations about the means by which people get ahead in life. While I am quite aware there are some seriously corrupt people in the world, the majority of my high achievement friends got there the old fashioned way. Hard, persistent, intelligent work and a bit of luck.

   The reason I'm bothering to write about this is that the idea that you have to sell your soul and be corrupt is both false and disempowering. It sends a message that getting ahead is impossible without some sort of magic contact list coupled with a dearth of ethics. In fact, I'd say the opposite is true, and now more than ever.

   The flattening of the barriers to communicate about a product or service, along with the myriad of outsourcing opportunities have allowed a great number of new entrants into most markets. There is so much niche territory at the edges of markets that big companies simply cannot manage to keep up with their nimble competition. Opportunity abounds.

   Is it easy to succeed? Nope. But it is completely possible, and the barriers to entry for many fields are lower than ever. Don't be misled. Most markets are open to people with the ability to use some empathy and apply that into a meaningful market offering. No special contacts, and no secret handshakes are required.

  Believe in yourself and make a difference. The only thing holding you back, is you.