How to Believe What You Want is Possible

When I started this blog, sharing about what I learned in Jack Canfield‘s book THE SUCCESS PRINCIPLES has been one of those topics I really want to tackle chapter by chapter and dig into. It still is. And because I want to practice the principles I’ve gone through before putting them here, it usually takes a while before I get to write my thoughts.

So far, I’ve already told you the first three fundamental principles of success according to Jack Canfield:

Now, let me share with you the next principle I learned in this favorite book of mine.

The Fundamentals of Success #4: Believe It’s Possible

In 2007, when I first read the book, The Secret, I learned that whatever the mind can conceive, the body can achieve. This was actually coined by Napoleon Hill, one of the greatest minds of our time. And true enough, whatever it was that I believed can happen, no matter how big (achieving my first million in 2008) or small (getting free coffee) it was, as long as I believed it could happen, it really did. And until now, as long as I feel good, as long as I remain faithful to the universe, great things continue to come to my life simply because I believe I am blessed and lucky.

“Neuropsychologists who study expectancy theory say it’s because we spend our lives becoming conditioned. Through a lifetime’s worth of events, our brain actually learns what to expect next — whether it eventually happens that way or not. And because our brain expects something will happen a certain way, we often achieve exactly what we anticipate.”

This is why those who grew up thinking that they will always be poor do end up poor while those who believe they will rise above it all, actually do. Just look at Oprah, a molested child, now one of the richest and most influential people of our time. So begin by believing that it is possible. Imbibe it. Discipline your mind to think so by saying mantras or self-affirmations every time you wake up. Sooner or later, your brain will be conditioned to expect what you want and will actually bridge that gap between your present reality and your expected reality, thus making your dream, whatever it is, come true.

I used to not want to have kids of my own. I just wanted to live a carefree, married life. So that’s what happened to me for at least a decade before my first marriage started falling apart. And when it finally crumbled, I was crushed. Describing my heart being broken into a tiny billion pieces is an understatement. But I did not lose hope. I prayed and prayed and praaaaayed countless of times. I talked to God that I want to be happy again, I want to fall in love and be loved again, I want a family of my own. I didn’t know how that was going to happen. There is no divorce in the Philippines and people tend to stigmatize you when your marriage falls apart. I was 35 and never had kids. There’s a even a big possibility that I was barren. But I didn’t care. I just believed it was all possible. That was 2013. And fast forward to today, court decided to grant my annulment. It just needs to be processed and finalized. I found a better love, the love of my best friend, Mahal, and we have been gifted with a hyperactive son! I am once again living the life that I prayed for. All because I believed that one stormy night, as I kneeled on my bed and asked God for what I want.

I’m not saying it is easy. It really does take practice and mindfulness about your daily thoughts, emotions, and actions. And I must admit that sometimes believing my other bigger dreams can come true is still quite a challenge especially when it’s that time of the month and my hormones are once again taking over my emotions, lol. So, when it feels hard to believe, I start out small.

A current example I can give you is my recent commitment to really blog every day. I’m on my 6th consecutive day now (and I’m on U.S. Time Zone — an FYI to my Asian readers) and so far, so good. And I expect to continue. When I wrote that rant of being a sleep-deprived mom earlier this week and said that I will blog every day from then on, I expected myself to really do it. And magically, for some reason, I found the time. I even found the time to get some sleep. I discarded those activities that are a waste of my time (like non-stop scrolling of my social media feeds and cleaning Tuz’s mess all the time.) To help me further, I created this checklist on the fly so I don’t forget any of the important things I need, want, and have to do every day. I may have to tweak this checklist but so far, it works! I’ve done so many of them already and it’s just 11:30 AM EST my time on a Saturday.

So if you think this success principle will be challenging for you, start small too. Commit to making it happen, believe it’s possible, and expect it.

I hope this blog post helped you in any way.

Enjoy your weekend, everyone! See you again tomorrow!