People tend to dismiss the effects of negative beliefs. They think that because it’s in your mind, it doesn’t affect anything. However, this is not correct. Thoughts have much more power than you realize. It doesn’t matter whether you believe it or not; it IS a reality!

In the field of Social Psychology, it’s called the Self-Fulfilling Prophecy – what you believe happens. Look at the following example:

A young salesman was sent to a tough customer. His manager told him that this customer was hard to deal with and very resistant, but by being persistent, the salesman always got the order. The manager told the new salesman it was a sure thing; this particular customer, no matter how difficult he was to the salesman ALWAYS placed an order. The young salesman was totally assured. He knew what to expect and was prepared to tough it out with the customer because he KNEW the customer would buy. The customer ALWAYS bought; he just made it difficult.

Prepared, confident and excited, the young man went to the business and began the sales process. The customer was tough, very tough. The young man had never encountered such a tough customer but the new salesman knew what the outcome would be. He KNEW the customer was going to buy; the manager had years of experience with this customer. And sure enough, eventually the customer placed the order the young man expected.

He went back to the office and submitted the order and didn’t think anymore about it until his manager called him in. The manager asked him how in the world did he get this order.  The young man was confused. Didn’t this customer always order?

Well, the new salesman had gone to the wrong business! He went to a business that his company had been trying to retain as a customer for over 20 years and had never sold anything to them. The manager was shocked! How had this inexperienced salesman succeeded where veteran salespeople over 20 years of time had not?

The answer is simple. Because the thought he was at a difficult customer that was always a sure sale, he BELIEVED there was going to be a sale. He acted like there was going to be a sale and projected that onto the customer. There was a sale.

Now, what would have happened if the new salesman had been told no one had been able to sell a thing to this business for 20 years? Yes, NO SALE!

Do you limit your life by what you believe?