Believe in Your Vision and Never Veer Away From It. Here's Why.
Orville and Wilbur Wright | CNN
When a new coach is hired to lead a team, there is one determining factor that can help forecast whether or not success will occur:
Belief.
If you don't have buy-in from your entire team and staff—even if the plan is perfect—it's not going to work.
The path to success is long and winding, but the first step is always believing that it's going to work. History shows us an incredible story of this concept in action.
In the latter part of the nineteenth century, when the Methodist church was holding its denominational convention, one man stood up and shared his vision for the church and society at large. He explained to everyone there how he believed some day men would fly from place to place instead of merely traveling on horseback.
One minister, Bishop Wright, stood up and angrily protested. "Heresy!" he shouted. "Flight is reserved for the angels!" He went on to elaborate that if God had intended for man to fly, He would have given him wings. Clearly, the bishop was unable to envision what the speaker was predicting.
When Bishop Wright finished his brief protest, he gathered up his two sons, Orville and Wilbur, and left the auditorium.
Several years later, on December 17, 1903, those two sons did what their father called impossible: they flew. The first flight lasted only 12 seconds, but the fourth lasted 59 seconds and took them 852 feet.
Soon the Wright brothers had built the world's first practical airplane, the Flyer III, and by 1908, the brothers had demonstrated an improved model in France that flew 60 miles in less than two hours.
Two brothers believed in a shared vision to accomplish the impossible, and in the process, they changed the world.
One Wright made a wrong. Two Wright’s made a right. But I digress.
Do you think the Wright brothers had doubts along the way? Do you think they experienced a fear of failure? I'm confident they did.
For most of my life, my biggest fear was the fear of failure. But I began to realize that my fear of failure was lower when I was actively working against it.
It's easy to worry about missing the putt when you're watching TV; go practice the putt!
It's easy to fear about missing the open receiver when you're sitting on the couch; go practice the throw!
It's easy to fret about missing the three-point buzzer-beater when you're playing video games; go practice the shot!
And I'm sure the Wright brothers' fear of failure was lower when they were making progress on their plane.
If you're taking action, you're less worried about failure because you realize you have some influence in the outcome. The Wright brothers believed in their vision, never veered away from it, and worked past their collective fear of failure.
With teamwork, unwavering courage, and strict loyalty to your vision, changing the world is possible.
Believe in yourself. Believe in your vision. Don't veer away from it.