A phrase that I heard in childhood that had a stickiness to it is “you are what you eat.” It was a message intended to influence dietary habits. Its significance was not as great when I first heard it in grade school as it is today when every extra calorie seems to linger as a vivid reminder of that statement.
A similar line of thought is found in this week’s One to Grow On quote from Brian Tracy as he suggests you are what you believe. What an empowering idea! You do not have to wait for permission from someone else to think or live your belief system… within limits, of course. I would not encourage my 15-year-old son to take this quote literally, for example. Similarly, you still follow norms and rules in the workplace and in the community. But, when it comes to making choices about your values and how to position your personal brand, it is unnecessary to have those decisions imposed on you.
From Amateur to Professional
Reading Brian Tracy’s quote reminded me of the inspirational story of Nancy Frates shared on the TED Radio Hour podcast recently. You may not recognize her name, but you surely have heard about a cause with which she is closely associated: The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Nancy’s son, Pete, turned his ALS diagnosis at age 27 into a force for change by enlisting family members to help raise money for research to take on this horrible disease. There was only one problem- Nancy Frates knew nothing about the online communication channels crucial to the success of her son’s ambitions. Nancy did not even have a Facebook page, but she did not let her limitations be an obstacle nor did she wait for someone to grant permission via training or a degree to begin using social media in pursuit her family’s philanthropic goals. Nancy just did it, and the efforts of the Frates family have been instrumental in raising more than $115 million for ALS research. You can see Nancy Frates’s inspirational Ted Talk below.
Believe and Act in Order to Be
Thankfully, Nancy Frates did not do things by the book. If she had, she would have not taken the leap to the epicenter of her son’s crusade to fight a disease that is slowly taking him away from her. She did not have the preparation to take on the role of nonprofit marketer, but the lack of credentials did not dissuade her from pursuing what became a family priority overnight.
“Whatever you believe with feeling becomes your reality” should be amended to “whatever you believe and do with feeling becomes your reality.” The proper mindset is a necessary starting point in order to grow, but belief is not enough. For example, many people may claim to be a writer/author (belief), but they do not practice a daily discipline of writing in which many professional writers engage. The difference is in the actions- one believes it, the other believes and acts on those beliefs. Complement beliefs with actions to achieve the reality you desire.
