It’s not a question of whether anyone needs to give you permission. Rather, it’s a question of whether you can muster the resources, energy, creativity, discipline, and focus in order to do things you have never done before.

There are many examples throughout history of people who faced the question, “Can we do this?” when they were staring a big challenge in the face. One such example is the Apollo space program from the 1960s. NASA was consumed by the question of whether they could develop the technology and processes to send a crew to the moon and bring them safely back to earth.

But they kept forging ahead, and the question of “Can we do this?” was finally resolved when Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon on July 21, 1969.

It took resolve. It took patience. It took hundreds of thousands of people working in the space program to make that moment happen. You may not be going to the moon, but you still have big goals. There is a price to pay.

The very first way you invest in your dreams is by believing in yourself. Henry Ford famously said, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t—you’re right.”

So, if you’re asking the question, “Can I do this?,” the answer is YES… you can do this! You have what it takes. You really do.

But first, you have to believe it’s possible. Nothing will happen until you believe.

Today’s Challenge: As you think about your big goals for 2023, do you believe you can accomplish them? Why or why not?

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One of the curses of being a writer is that we are too rational.

We pride ourselves on reporting the facts of a situation accurately. We love the idea of having an objective point of view, then giving our commentary or perspective. We don’t like the idea of getting carried away with our emotions. We don’t want to be irrational or have a skewed point of view.

Is being “rational” really the best way to approach life, though?

It’s hard to believe John F. Kennedy was being entirely rational when he challenged the nation to put a man on the moon by the end of the 1960s. It’s hard to believe Michelangelo was being entirely rational when he set out to paint the Sistine Chapel. It’s hard to believe Harriet Tubman was being entirely rational when she risked her own safety to help free slaves in the days of the Underground Railroad.

None of these leaders were operating solely on what others had done before or by what other people thought was possible. They were operating by vision and an intense confidence that they could pull off something extraordinary.

Walt Disney famously said this: “Somehow I can’t believe there are many heights that can’t be scaled by a man who knows the secret of making dreams come true. This special secret, it seems to me, can be summarized in four C’s. They are Curiosity, Confidence, Courage, and Constancy, and the greatest of these is Confidence. When you believe a thing, believe it all over, implicitly and unquestioningly.”

Do you believe you can write? Do you believe your book can change somebody’s life? Do you believe you can create a business with your writing? Do you believe you can achieve it with enough work, time, and connections?

Whatever you’ve set out to do in your writing, you must believe it. And once you can see the vision clearly in your mind, you have now set the stage for making that vision a reality.

Daily Question: What is your vision for your writing? Do you believe you can achieve it?

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The Christmas classic It’s a Wonderful Life opens with a scene in heaven. Two angels are listening to prayers from Bedford Falls for George Bailey, who is in trouble. They call in a third angel, Clarence, who is being sent to earth to help George. If he succeeds in his mission, he’ll finally get his wings.

But before he is sent down, he needs to spend some time getting to know George. All he can see is a blur, so one of the other angels has to clear his vision because he doesn’t have his wings yet. And with the senior angel’s help, Clarence can see clearly so he can move forward with his mission.

There is a similar relationship between you and your readers. Your mission is to help them see the world more clearly. It doesn’t matter what you’re writing. The mission is ultimately the same: to help the reader get a clearer vision of life.

How is your vision? Do you see clearly? No one can believe your writing, believe the truth in it, unless you first believe it yourself.

The great novelist Charles Dickens wrote, “I have nothing else to tell; unless, indeed, I were to confess that no one can ever believe this narrative, in the reading, more than I have believed it in the writing.”

Is skill important? Yes. But skill is nothing without belief. When you believe in what you’re doing, you can take the reader anywhere you want to go.

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