Talent is Never Enough Chapter 1: "Belief Lifts Your Talent"

"The first and greatest obstacle to success for most people is their belief in themselves" Maxwell hits the nail on the head with this thought. As I look at my own success, doubt by far holds me back. I doubt I am capable enough, I doubt I have the time to succeed, etc. Maxwell goes on to explain that it is a lack of trust that prevents success, which is a self-imposed limitation.

This chapter was great for me to read, because it helped me to approach my frustrations with growth. I think what I struggle with the most is when you come across a very successful individual who is as arrogant as all get up. I know we have all met that person. Regardless of their success, you leave the experience with a bad taste in your mouth. Then you can meet somebody as equally successful, who is modest and easy to talk with. My fear of being certain of my abilities is that I will become one of those arrogant individuals. In my career...life, I desire nothing more than to be approachable by ALL who have a desire or need to get to me. Last week I had the opportunity to attend an NCDA Convention, and observe both kinds of people, those who are modest and those who are arrogant. At convention, I have the opportunity to be surrounded by the who's-who of choral education. I have learned that my personal belief of MYSELF is the biggest hurdle I get. Can I approach Dan Hayes, Kurt Runestad, Colin Brown, Don Reimer, etc. with the feeling of validity and that I'm not wasting their time. BELIEF plays a huge part in this struggle of mine.

In Maxwell's writing, he goes on to talk about some "beliefs" worth buying into:
1)Belief In Your Potential: I talked about this a bit in the above example. Believing in your potential is accepting the fact that you are going to live PAST average. You will not be held back by physical limitations and you will follow what you feel is the best options. Yes there will be mistakes, but you learn from them. Potential is what lies within you, and whether you decide to bring it out.
2)Believe in Yourself: "It's one thing to believe that you possess remarkable potential. It's another thing to have enough faith in yourself that you think you can fulfill it" I think this quote is pretty self-explanatory. He also provides a credo that golfer Arnold Palmer uses:

If you think you are beaten, you are.
If you think you dare not, you don't.
If you'd like to win, but think you can't
It's almost certain you won't...
Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man,
But soon or late, the man who wins
Is the man who thinks he can.

3)Believe in your Mission: My History & Philosophy of Music Education class this summer really helped me to create a stronger belief in my mission. Our professor, Dr. Richmond, talked so passionately and intellectually about the need for music education. You can tell this man believed in his mission of music education. My goal this year is to fervently seak this belief & apply it to my life. BY doing this, Maxwell argues that you are empowered, encouraged, & enlarged. You would have to be sick NOT to want to feel encouraged and more successful. Only through believing in your mission will this happen!

For the sake of time, & keeping the attention of my audience, I will leave out discussion of the second half of the chapter(or even better, go buy the book and read it for yourself)

On a deeper (and much more important level), how does my belief in my Christian faith motivate & guide me. Do I believe in myself as a follower of Christ. do I believe in my potential to be a "warrior" for Christ and lead, follow, & teach as Christ wants me to? Do I believe in the mission of my Christian faith? What is my purpose? I can honestly say I lack in my belief in my ability. It is amazing to see how "effortless" it is for some to preach, serve, etc. for Christ. I have often times considered a career in the ministries, and reading just the little bit of Maxwell that I have has helped me to realize I need to work on these passion in my life. Make it more apparent that it IS a passion of mine!