#1374 Believe in Yourself

Wisdom from the Circus

Last weekend I took the kids to Whole Foods. It’s been a family tradition since Emerson was a baby.

That trip used to be the perfect time for me to get one-on-one time with Emerson while giving mommy a couple/few hours to do her thing. Now it’s the perfect time for me to get one-on-two time with Emerson AND Eleanor while mommy gets a little time.

Note: If you’re in Austin at the flagship Whole Foods on South Lamar on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon and see us, please say hi! It’s always fun to run into Heroes when we’re out. 🙌!!!

Now…

We live in the country so it’s a thirty-five-minute drive to Whole Foods. We pass a big race track known as the Circuit of the Americas on our way.

We went to the circus there last year.

So…

As we were driving by, I decided to practice the virtue of savoring by recollecting some highlights from our trip.

Me: “Hey, guys! Remember when we went to the circus last year? Wasn’t that awesome?!”

Kids: “Yes!!”

Me: “What was your favorite part?!”

Eleanor: “I really liked the dogs!”

Me: “Yah. Those dogs were funny and I loved all their tricks, too! The motorcycle guys in that cage were crazy awesome, too, eh?”

Kids: “Yah!!”

Emerson: “So was that guy who jumped rope and did back flips on top of that huge spinning thing.”

Me: “Oh, my! Yah. That guy was amazing!!”

(Cue philosophical teaching moment…)

Me: “How do you think he got so good at that?!”

(Note: I have asked that question dozens and dozens of (if not over one hundred!) times.)

As you know if you’ve been following along, the answer I expected was a Carol Dweck/Angela Duckworth-inspired growth/grit mindset “PRACTICE!”

So I was surprised when Eleanor said: “He BELIEVED in himself!!”

Me: “Wow. That’s an awesome answer. Where’d you learn that?!”

Eleanor: “YOU!”

Me: “Well, alright. Go me!” (Hah!)

“YES!!! He had to believe in himself to even THINK he could get good at that and try it in the first place, huh?!”

“It ALL starts with believing in ourselves. There are so many things we may never try if we don’t believe we can do them!”

And, well, that’s Today’s +1.

Want to do the hard things that will help us show up as the best, most Heroic version of ourselves?

It all starts with a sense of self-efficacy. A sense of agency. A quiet, inner knowing that we CAN do the thing we want to do.

Let’s have that.

TODAY.

Unlock this Heroic +1 (and over 1,000 more)!

Create your account to get more wisdom in less time. Personal development made simple so you can flourish in energy, work, and love. Today.

Sign Up Today