Blog | Entrepreneurship, Personal Finance

Success and the Power of Belief

Why the only opinion that matters about you is your own

In my senior year of high school, rich dad’s son, Mike, and I were lined up in front of a small group of students made up primarily of the leaders of our class. Our guidance counselor turned to Mike and me and said, “The two of you will never amount to anything.”

Some of our classmates laughed as the counselor continued, “From now on, I am not going to waste my time on either of you. I’m only going to spend my time with the students who want to be here and to learn. You two are the class clowns and you will never amount to anything if you keep it up. Now get out of here.”

Those words hurt Mike and me deeply, but that counselor also did us a huge favor by inspiring both of us to strive even harder. Her words carried us through college and into our own businesses.

Determine success

Many years ago, Mike and I went to our high school reunion together and it's always an interesting experience. It was nice to visit with people we had spent three years with during a period of time when none of us really knew who we were. It was also interesting to see that most of the so-called senior leaders had not become successful in the years after high school.

Mike and I were not academic whiz kids. We were not class leaders, financial geniuses, or athletic stars. For the most part, we were slow-to-average learners and students. In my opinion, we were not as naturally gifted as our fathers. But it was those stinging words from that guidance counselor, coupled with the snickering from our classmates, that gave us the fire to plod along, to learn from our mistakes, and to keep going in both good and bad times.

What this taught me is that success can rarely be predicted. Instead, you must determine whether you will be successful or not, each and every day. And you must work hard to earn that success.

Trust in yourself

Even though you may not be good at everything, take time developing what you need to learn and your world will change rapidly. Never run from what you know you need to learn. Face your fears and doubts and new worlds will open to you.

If you did not do well in school, or if you were not the most popular, or you’re not good at math, or whatever other reasons you have to sell yourself short—none of it matters in the long run. Those so-called shortcomings only count if you think they count.

For those of you who are considering embarking on your own financial journey of success, you may have some doubts about your abilities. All I can say is: Trust that you have everything you need right now to be successful financially.

Remember that the only person who determines the thoughts you choose to believe in about yourself is you. So, the reward from the journey is not only the freedom that money buys but also the trust you gain in yourself. My best advice is to prepare daily to be bigger than your smallness. In my opinion, the reason most people stop and turn back from their dreams is because the tiny person with the loud voice found inside each of us wields more power than our bigger person.

All it takes to bring out your natural, God-given gifts is your desire, determination, and a deep faith that you have a genius and a gift that is unique and that the world needs.