The Power of Belief

"Every morning is a fresh beginning. Every day is the world made new. Today is a new day. Today is my world made new. I have lived all my life up to this moment, to come to this day. This moment--this day--is as good as any moment in all eternity. I shall make of this day--each moment of this day--a heaven on earth. This is my day of opportunity." --Dan Custer

Opportunity. What a lovely word. *smile* Two more I love: Optimism and Optimal. The letters OP nestle within one of my favorite all-time words: Hope.

Sometimes the business of writing—whether it be the necessity of revisions, the frustration of plot-points or the pressure of deadlines—can overwhelm our initial sense of joy. Leading us to forget what led us to being writers… The opportunity to write.

You know, one thing writers know more keenly than anyone is how words can be phrased to elicit emotion. How our choice of language can lead our reader to one conclusion or another. How even punctuation can alter the meaning of a sentence.

Consider this sentence:

A woman without her man is nothing.

Now, let's examine two ways of utilizing punctuation to completely transform the meaning conveyed.

1. A woman, without her man, is nothing.

2. A woman: without her, man is nothing.

Fascinating, Captain!

If punctuation can make such a dramatic difference, imagine what one word might accomplish. Yet in our fervent quest to select the right choice in our writing (bless you, sweet thesaurus), we often forget the impact our words have in everyday life. Not just in how we write, but how we think. Just for an experiment, read the next five sentences aloud, reaching deep and *feeling* what comes up as you speak.

"Today, I have to write five pages."

"Today I need to write five pages."

"Today, I get to write five pages."

"Today, I have the opportunity to write five pages."

"Today I write five pages."

"The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones."
--Chinese proverb

Being a successful writer isn't just about pounding out pages. The small steps we make in our approach to writing can be as significant as our productivity. And words have power. They really do. Words create magic, not just in our stories but also in our life. Let's try another sentence.

"I am a success."

*smile* Now, let's say it like we mean it! I AM A SUCCESS.

The same power that allows you to sweep a reader away into a world of intrigue or romance is at your fingertips, giving you not only the Opportunity To Write, but also the Opportunity To Succeed In Life. Often we forget we have this power. For all the care we exert in selecting the proper word to express our chosen emotion within a story, we forget this same power exists within our life. This is why I encourage us all, every day, to shout WE ARE WRITERS! Words have power. In our books and in our life.

"Some people dream of success... while others wake up and work hard at it." ~Author Unknown

This week, let's focus not just our minds but our hearts. Along with our goals of productivity let's forge a path to success with our thoughts. Once a day, every day, let's invest five minutes in focusing on our success. Feel it, breathe it, believe it! Five minutes where we imagine our life is exactly what we choose it to be. And consider this… Studies show that the subconscious responds to our beliefs as if they are facts. Read that over one more time. Take a moment to savor the thought.

Our beliefs influence our experience. Visualization has improved the performance of athletes as significantly as actual practice. The thought is astounding. Do you realize what this means? Success Comes To Those Who Believe In Success. NOT because positive thinking is cool but because Our Beliefs Shape Our Experience.

Five minutes. "I am a successful, published author. My books are popular and engaging. I love to write. Writing comes easily to me."

Select the words that give you a tingle and repeat them with passion. Tell yourself—for the next five minutes I will suspend any belief in what my present experience APPEARS to be, and believe fully in the reality I choose. I AM a success. I hold within my hand my published book.

Why not? As writers we grasp better than most the need to "suspend disbelief." And the power of initiating beliefs. *smile* Now's the time to Create The World You Want. On paper and in life.

Let's seize the moment and begin anew!

"Our ideals resemble the stars, which illuminate the night. No one will ever be able to touch them. But the men who, like the sailors on the ocean, take them for guides, will undoubtedly reach their goal." –Carl Schurz

"All that we are is the result of what we have thought. .... All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world." --Gautama Siddhartha Buddha

"If you can dream it, you can do it." --Walt Disney

--Chiron O'Keefe