Please enjoy this free preview of part of Chapter 1.

I was 20 years old and my father was driving me to the airport. During the car ride, we didn’t say much. I was busy with my own thoughts. I was headed off to college and quite frankly, I was worried about whether I could make it academically. I was never much of a student in high school. In fact, I finished high school as the 298th student in a class of 303. Was I really “college material”? How could I thrive in college when I just barely survived in high school?

When we pulled up to the curb, I took a deep breath and stepped out of the car. My father handed me my bag and I tried my best to look the part of the confident student. Trying to sound as nonchalant as possible, I said, “Alright, Dad. I guess I’ll call you when I make it to my dorm.”

My father must have sensed the hesitance in my voice because he replied, “Son, just do your best.”

With that, I turned and slowly walked to the entrance of the airport. I was still filled with worry and dread about the challenges to come. I was hoping to hear a word of encouragement; anything to let me know that I would be okay. Just as I made it to the revolving doors, I heard a familiar voice say, “Son, all that it takes is all you’ve got, and all you’ve got is all that it takes.”
At that, I turned to my father and gave him the Jordan nod as if to say, “I got it, Pop.” With a spring in my step, I walked through the revolving doors determined to make a success out of myself.

I have to admit it was not easy but very challenging. I remember the early struggles of adjusting to the world of college academia. In particular, I vividly recall the frustration of studying really hard for my first exam only to score 9 out of 100. Fortunately, as I walked back to my dorm room, my eyes welled up with tears, I heard my father’s words ringing in my ears. Time and time again, whenever I met with frustration, those words came back to me. “Son, all that it takes is all that you got…”

I must confess that there were times when I thought that perhaps my father was mistaken. Perhaps, he had meant to say something like, “All that it takes is more than you got and all that you got ain’t a lot,” but had somehow mixed the words up. However, in the end, he proved to be correct. It took everything in me to complete college and graduate school, yet everything in me was enough for the task. I found out later, that the reason why I was able to accomplish this goal was not that my Father believed I could but because I learned how to believe in myself.                                                                                         

To reach your goals in life you have to first believe that you can. In the final analysis, your success in life will not be determined by your education, your background, your contacts, the economy or any other external factor. Your success will be determined by your belief in yourself. As Richard M. DeVos, co-founder of Amway, once said, “The only thing that stands between a man and what he really wants from life is the will to try it and the faith to believe it is possible.” I have discovered that there are only two types of people– the people who think they can and they people who think they can’t. And the really strange thing is that both types are absolutely correct. The people who think they can achieve their dreams succeed. And the people who don’t think they can achieve their dreams don’t.

Virgil said it best when he said, “They can because they think they can.” It is for this reason that you should start believing in yourself. It is the reason why some people look at problems yet see opportunities while others look at opportunities but see problems. It has nothing to do with the circumstance itself and everything to do with what they believe.

As a Motivational Speaker, I know that my belief is the most crucial element to my success on the platform. If I don’t believe in the message, then the audience never will. In addition, not only must I believe in the message, but I must believe in the messenger as well. For instance, just imagine if you were in an audience and the speaker started his presentation uncertainly by saying: “Well … I have some ideas … well not really ideas … kind of just thoughts … about how you can improve your lives …. Now, I could be wrong here because after all, who am I? But anyway, since we are all here and we have an hour to kill, let’s start ….” Would you bother to stay around to hear what the speaker had to say next? I know that I wouldn’t. Therefore, if I expect to hold the attention of my audience, I must first believe in my message and in myself.

For some people, believing in oneself comes automatic. They naturally expect the best of themselves. They are expecting to have good things happen to them. They effortlessly exude confidence in themselves and their abilities. They see themselves as a magnet for good things However, for some people, believing in themselves takes some work. Fortunately, we can all learn to develop the necessary confidence in our own abilities.

So how do you foster your belief in yourself? The first thing that needs to be done...