The Power of Creating a Belief

I am on a theme at the moment and it is one of beliefs and believing. I find this subject ever fascinating.

I recently listened to a couple of interviews, one with Jenson Button the Formula 1 driver, the second was Andre Agassi who was once thought to be the greatest tennis player of all time by the critics and I recently watched the documentary movie called The September Issue. The September Issue is all about American Vogue’s high profile editor Anna Wintour and what she gets up to in her day job. I loved this movie I have to say, being a bit of a fashionista myself and simply fascinated by the world of glitz and glam. You peeps might well be wondering what on earth these three have in common.

All three of these celebrities talked a little bit about their childhood and each one of them, in turn, had been told by their parent(s) from childhood that they would be “The Grand Prix World Champion”, “the World’s number one tennis player” and “the Editor of Vogue”.

Jenson’s career started as a kart racer where he was extraordinarily successful at winning races from a very young age. He said that from a very early age his father told him that he would be the Grand Prix World Champion. He was 2009 World Champion.

Andre Agassi was also once a top tennis star and at an early age groomed for big things. His father told him that he was going to be the World Number 1 tennis player. He was.

Anna Wintour’s father, Charles was editor of the Evening Standard (a London evening paper) and often consulted with her on how to make the newspaper’s coverage relevant to the youth of mid-1960s London. When asked by people what career choice Anna would make he would tell them “Why she is going to be Editor of Vogue one day”. She has been this for some years.

I am also reminded that Richard Branson was told by his parents that there was no limit to what he could achieve if he set his mind to it.

I do not have any children myself but how I wish I could have a baby right now and try this one out for size. I would use it as a case study and document it as we went along. I have told my young friend Ruth the story about these three, she was wowed, Ruth has a one year old daughter called Anna. Let’s see where Anna’s strengths lie and perhaps we can encourage her to use her talents and attributes to tbe very best of her ability and be something really great, something that will serve others and make a difference to our world. WOW – all you parents out there… what an opportunity!

It’s never too late to start believing how great we can be.