When I was a little girl, I loved “The Little Engine that Could.” My dad read it to me over and over. Whenever I would encounter an obstacle that I didn’t think I could overcome, he would challenge me by telling me the story of that little engine.

Years later, when I was a swim instructor in our little town, I taught a little boy who was very afraid of the water. We played games in the shallow end of the pool. We laughed and splashed until he was comfortable. And then, I threw a weighted ring to the bottom of the pool and asked him to retrieve it. He cried and cried and said that he couldn’t do it. I started to tell him the story of the little engine that could, but he cut me off. He looked at me and said, “Oh, no! Are you gonna tell me about the engine that said “I think I can, too?” Ugh. He’d been told the story before, but he was choosing not to believe in himself.

I confess, I’ve chosen a negative outlook sometimes, too. When that little voice in your head tells you you can’t do something, your conscious mind works with your thoughts to create results. I wonder how many times I’ve gotten in the way of my own success by telling myself that I wouldn’t succeed or that nothing would change? My dad taught me long ago that the mind is a powerful thing. What you think, you create. When I remember the story of the Little Engine that Could and the hope and belief delivered by my dad when he told me the story, I know that I can achieve whatever I believe I can.

As I stand on the cusp of a new decade, I see a world of wonder and possibility in front of me. I’ve been thinking about my goals for the next year. At the top of my list is believing in myself. What’s on your list?

“Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve. Thoughts are things! And powerful things at that, when mixed with definiteness of purpose, and burning desire, can be translated into riches.” ~ Napoleon Hill

Uncategorized