Fishers High School

IT STARTS WITH BELIEF As The Fourth of July came and went yesterday, I hope you had a chance to enjoy some time with friends and family. Whether you were hanging out on the water, grilling in the backyard, or proving to your neighbors that you are in fact the fireworks expert in your cul-de-sac, July 4th has always been a day to stop and celebrate our independence. More than 200 years after the Revolution, we’re still honoring those early Americans who decided our freedom was worth fighting for. I found myself thinking about those men and their pursuit of victory this week, and gaining a new level of respect for their commitment to winning. Sure we celebrate their achievement every year, but I’m not sure any of us can fully appreciate what it took to do what those founding fathers did. That’s because today we have the luxury of knowing something they didn’t know. We know how the story ends. We did it. We won. But taking a minute to envision their journey without that knowledge highlights what that achievement must have required from them. There’s a lesson about belief they can teach each of us with a desire to win here today. Stop and consider the choices those early Americans made in the context of what they knew. In many ways, our Revolutionary army was the ultimate underdog. The British military was far superior in both sheer numbers and tactical training. The British had resources and stability and history on their side. On paper, this was a lopsided battle with a likely outcome. The British of course knew all this, and you can bet the Americans did, too. That was the harsh reality standing between our founding fathers and the future they wanted to create. From that perspective, how much more admirable does their willingness to fight become? With full knowledge of the uphill battle they were facing, and with no knowledge of the winning outcome we celebrate all these years later, what kind of belief - in themselves, in each other, and ultimately, in their ability to turn their vision for the future into reality - did it take for them to choose to step forward and fight anyway? We talk regularly here about the harsh reality of what winning requires from us in the meaningful areas of our own lives. This 4th of July, those early Americans provide us with some insight into where success so often begins. It often begins with the full knowledge of the uphill battle we’re facing, and with no knowledge of whether or not the outcome we’re after will be achieved. In spite of that knowledge, it also begins with a belief - in ourselves, in each other, and ultimately, in our ability to turn our vision for the future into reality. Once that winning mindset is solidified, our next steps gain clarity. There’s a lot that winning requires, but it starts with belief. The men who fought for and ultimately won our country’s independence offer us a winning framework: belief drives behavior, and behavior produces results. Those early Americans didn’t show up and win, and then start believing and behaving like champions afterwards. We celebrate their performance with full knowledge of how the story ends, but they didn’t have that luxury. They had to do what winning required them to do - what it requires everyone to do, including each of us here today. They had to pay the price up front. I don’t know where exactly you're working to win here today, but I am confident where that winning pursuit begins. It begins with the full knowledge of the uphill battle you’re facing, and with no knowledge of whether or not the outcome you’re after will be achieved. In spite of that knowledge, it also begins with a belief - in yourself, in those around you, and ultimately, in your ability to turn your vision for the future into reality. You have to solidify that winning mindset first, and then your next steps gain clarity. For you here today, just like it did for our founding fathers all those years ago, there’s a lot that winning requires…but it starts with belief. SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHAMPIONS 101 NEWSLETTER HERE. Copyright Champions 101. All rights reserved.