Guest blog by Don Campbell
Believing in yourself is essential. I am reminded of Henry Ford’s saying “If you think you can or you think you can’t you are right.” Your basic thoughts about success tend to become a self-fulfilling prophecy. I have always had a high degree of self-confidence. I tend to see myself as 6- feet tall and bullet proof. If something needs to be done, I am confident that I can figure out how to do it.
When I was introduced to Holistic Management my self-confidence went up. This occurred largely because of the tools Holistic Management offered me (goal setting, financial planning and planned grazing). The other huge benefit Holistic Management offered was all the wonderful people I met. These people became role models and mentors for me. A large part of my success is due to my Holistic Management friends.
I give credit to my parents for helping me develop my self-confidence. My parents always believed in and supported me. That made it easy for me to believe in myself. I am reminded about the time that I wanted to disperse our cow herd in the 1980s. My Dad’s comment was “Do what you think is best, I believe in you.” What do you think that kind of support did for my self-confidence? If you are a parent, I encourage you to tell your children (don’t assume that they know) that you offer them unconditional love and support. This applies to our children at all stages of their lives (birth to death). There is nothing like parental support and approval to help us succeed.
We all know that the degree of parental support and encouragement varies greatly from family to family. I was blessed with strong parental support. That helped make my life easy. Your case may be different. That doesn’t mean you can’t believe in yourself and be successful. It means it will be more difficult. I believe you can still be successful. One thing we can all do is to make sure our children believe in themselves. If your family has a history of weak parental support, you can be the one to change the pattern. Give your children unconditional love and support. They will believe in themselves. Likely they will offer their children unconditional love and support. They in turn will believe in themselves. You have changed your family for the better. They, in turn, have changed the world for the better.
Believe in Your Spouse
Bev and I like most married couples (I think) have lots of small things we may not agree on. Fortunately, when it comes to the big things Bev offers me unconditional love and support. When I turn to her and suggest we should make some major change in our business (sell the cows, buy our hay, or borrow a million dollars) she says, “Do what you think is best, I believe in you.” I really think she feels I am 10- feet-tall and bullet proof. What do you think that kind of support does for my self-confidence? I encourage everyone to strengthen their marriage and relationships. Believing in your spouse is a choice. Let me share a quote from Gary Gregor:
“You only achieve as much as your significant other believes you can.”
Together you can do so much more than you can do alone. I know that I would not enjoy the success I have without Bev’s love and support.
Don Campbell is a Holistic Management practitioner and Certified Educator in Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan, Canada and can be reached at: doncampbell@sasktel.net