How important is belief??? An interesting article about David Cameron’s ascent to 10 Downing Street caught my eye recently – It asked the question “Why has Eton produced so many Prime Ministers of Great Britain?” The total number in case you are wondering is 19 (and counting), 1 Irish President and 1 Thai PM as well according to the BBC.

What really screamed out for me like a neon sign was that apparently pupils there are instilled with the belief that one day you will run the country, or something to that effect. An extraordinarily large number do go on to take leadership roles in various aspects of UK public life. But this blog is not about Eton, its about belief. How fascinating that these boys have motivational speakers coming to them on a regular basis and telling them  they can achieve anything they dream of! Carpe Diem and all that. Co-incidence? I think not.

Now I’m not a parent or an educator and yet in my experience and perception most kids get the message (either explicitly or implicitly) they should work hard, the world is a difficult/dangerous place and they need to be able to look after themselves so they should study hard, get a good job and make sure they are safe and secure, so nothing bad can happen to them. That’s certainly the gist of the messages my fellow pupils and I got at school (along with a big dollop of God will be angry if you do/don’t do x incidentally).

Big difference in the message? HUGE! We take actions (or not) based on our beliefs and world-views.So if my core belief is “I can do anything, greatness can be mine if I choose” – what actions will I take? How will I behave? How will I pursue opportunities??? On the other hand if I believe “this world is a tough place, better get my head down and make sure I am safe” – what dispositions for action are available for me from this space? How will I behave? What opportunities will I pursue and perhaps more importantly, what might I reject because it’s “too risky”?

How big do you let yourself dream? Why? What do you believe is in your way? Is that true? Is the world doing things “to you”??? Are you telling the story “this is what happened to me” – your TooMe story, OR do you decide what you want to do, write the story of how you want your life to be and go out there and create it that way?

As Henry Ford said “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, either way you’re right”.

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