The Art of
Believing
by Marie T. Russell
I believe for everyone
who goes astray
Someone will come to show the way....
I believe, I believe...
-- as sung by Elvis Presley
 We all have moments of doubt,
and we all have moments of believing... of
believing in ourselves, in our friends and
neighbors, in our country, in our world... And
then we have those dark moments of the soul --
the moments of doubt.
It has been said:
I believe Lord.
Help my disbelief...
Oftentimes, in our life, we
have doubts in the outcome of a situation...
whether the doubt has to do with our own
capabilities, or someone else's. Yet, faith in
ourselves is an integral part of succeeding...
When we give up believing in ourselves, we give
up trying.
Think of a baby learning to
walk. It somehow believes that it can do this,
even when all evidence seems to the contrary --
after all, at first it can barely crawl -- yet
that baby keeps trying and trying until one day
it can walk and then run. And as we watch that
baby, we also have faith and believe that the
child will someday, soon, learn to walk. Even
though it can not even stand on its own, we know
that with practice, with patience, with
perseverance, it will attain its goal.
This principle applies in our
personal lives. We may have a goal, like
quitting smoking, or changing our eating
patterns, or being less impatient with others,
and sometimes it seems like we fail miserably.
We fall back into the old behavior we are trying
to replace. Yet, if we don't give up, if every
time we fall down or "fail" we try again, then
eventually we will emerge victorious. If we hold on to our vision and know that
eventually we will attain our goal, we will
have gained internal strength with every "fall". If after the
moments of doubt, we can regroup and set back on
the path, then we have won.
Yet, it is easy to judge
ourselves at those steps where we do not stick
to our goal -- or lose faith in ourselves or our
vision -- and at that point give up. But that is
the moment where we must hold on to our faith,
to our vision. It is always darkest just before
the dawn. Thus, just when we feel like
despairing and that we'll "never get there",
that is the time where we must keep working
towards our goal, because, if we don't give up,
we'll make it eventually.
Sometimes, just at that point
where we almost gave up, someone will show up
with assistance of some kind -- whether a kind
encouraging word, or more direct help, someone
or something will be there to support you in
your goal.
All of this also applies in
our work situations, in our governments, and in
the world. We may have a difficult co-worker, or
a "challenging" neighbor, or a tense world
situation, yet, we must hold on to our goal, our
belief in success, even in the midst of
darkness. People may laugh at our goals, think
we can never attain what we strive for, yet, we
must keep picking up the pieces of our vision --
each time we drop them. We must continue to hold
within our hearts our vision -- whether of a
peaceful and loving work environment,
neighborhood, or world -- we must go through our
periods of doubt, of fear, and then go back to
the original goal, the original vision.
It may not be possible to
learn to walk in a day, but the baby doesn't let
that stop it... it keeps trying, and trying, and
trying. Years ago it was thought impossible to
go to the moon, to break the 4-minute mile
"barrier", to have instant communication via
telephones, internet, etc. For everything we
have accomplished, there have always been those
who scoffed that it was impossible -- that it
couldn't be done. These doubters always had
"proof" of why the goal could not be attained.
Yet, some brave souls who wouldn't accept that
reality were able to break past the barrier of
"impossibility" and create something new...
whether a plane, a car, a telephone, a
rocket to go to the moon, an internet system, a
new world record, etc.
We face the same situation in
our day to day lives, and even in our global
situation. If we insist that something is
impossible (quitting smoking, being more
patient, losing weight, attaining world peace),
then we have quit trying and we have closed the
door of possibility. But if we know and accept
that even in the face of fallbacks (another
cigarette or bowl of ice cream, another outburst
of anger or war), we can still pick ourselves up
and try again, then there is hope.
We must keep believing in
ourselves and in the other "ourselves" out
there. I remember when the cold war was ending
with Russia. Trips were organized to Russia
where "regular people" went and met with
"regular people" in Russia, only to discover
that we are all the same. People the world over
have the same hopes and dreams -- we all seek to
have a happy life, to have the love of our
family and friends, to live in a safe and
peaceful world. Whether we speak the same
language, practice the same religion, or dress the
same or not , we are all human -- in spite of our
external differences, inside we are the same. We
all have hopes and aspirations, and the power to
strive and make those dreams come true.
Yet, we must start with
believing in ourselves and in others. "Lord, I
believe, help my disbelief." Yes, there are
times when the dark of the night leads us to
believe that there will be no day, but if we
hold on a little bit longer and don't give up,
then at some point, the light will come.
So it is with all of our
goals, whether personal or global. If we hold on
even in the midst of doubt, fear, mockery, and
"evidence" to the contrary, if we hold on to our
vision (and pick it up each time we drop it), we
will reach the goal.
We are never given a
challenge without there being a way through it.
Sometimes we may feel we are caught in a maze,
that there is no way out... but there is a way,
there is always a way, even when we don't see
it. There is always hope even when we don't see
any reason for it. There is always an answer
even if we haven't yet heard it.
It is easy to give up, much
easier than keeping on going. Yet, the price of
giving up is anger which is oftentimes
translated into apathy. The price of giving up
on ourselves and our world, is living as
automatons, with no real joy, no real hopes, no
real substance to our lives. If a child gives up
on trying to walk, it may feel like it has lost
any reason to live. If we give up on ourselves
-- our personal goals as well as our global ones
-- we may end up feeling the same.
Yet, while we still have
breath, there is hope. We can conquer our own
habits, and we can help the world to conquer its
habits too. The habits of apathy, greed, fear,
anger, hate... As we look within ourselves and
attend to the business of being the best person
we can be, we will serve as "role-models" for
the world around us -- for our families,
co-workers, and the people whose lives we touch
in some way. As we become a better person,
we help others to become better persons too. As
we live our "possibilities", then others see
that it is possible for them as well. The child
learning to walk is inspired by seeing those
around it walking. As we learn to "walk" through
our daily challenges, others gain strength
through our example. As we hold on to our hopes,
knowing that each setback is part of the process
of attaining our goals, we inspire those around
us.
We can change the world, one
person at a time... and that person is each one
of us... As we look inside and root out the
behaviors we find deplorable in the world
(anger, hatred, jealousy, revenge), we do
our part in changing the world. These past two
weeks, I have been so much more aware of the
moments of impatience and anger that arise
within me... the moments of judgment (whether
towards myself or others)... the moments of
holding on to grudges.... People have come to
mind from the past... those people I have not
forgiven, I have not let go of... those memories
I have been holding on to that carried anger,
hurt, resentment...
As we become more sensitive
to the problems we see manifested in the world,
we can become more sensitive to how those same
issues are reflected in us. Maybe that is the
key... as we become better persons, we help
raise the consciousness of the world, one person
at a time...
"Let there be peace on earth,
and let it begin with me..." I find that song
going through my head very often these past few
weeks... Every time I find myself feeling
impatient with someone, all of a sudden, I hear
inside "Let there be peace on earth, and let it
begin with me..." Yes, we must act globally, but
as individuals we must make sure we take care of
"problems at home", within our own psyche,
before trying to change the world. As I have
seen many times, the more loving we become, the
more our world becomes loving. The more patient,
understanding, compassionate we become -- the
more the world around us reflects the change
within.
And yes "Rome wasn't built in
a day"... but, that doesn't mean we have to stop
going towards our goal. Just because we don't
learn to walk, quit smoking, stop being
impatient, attain world peace, in one day, does
that mean we have to give up? I believe it is
possible. We can do it... one person at a time.
Thank you for being there...
for being part of my vision for a peaceful and
loving world -- starting with peace and love
within my heart -- and moving towards peace and
love for ALL. Together we can do it... We are
all "moral support" for each other... When we
have moments of doubt, we can remember that we
are not alone... that others also have the same
hopes, the same aspirations, the same visions.
There is power in numbers,
and our numbers are growing -- exponentially...
Hold the vision! Believe that it is possible,
even if you don't see how. We can, we will, heal
ourselves and the world... starting with
ourselves -- loving ourselves, forgiving
ourselves our lapses, our errors, our
transgressions... and moving outwards... We can,
We will, We are One.
 Recommended
book:
"There's a
Spiritual Solution to Every Problem"
by Wayne Dyer.
Info/Order
book
 About The Author
Marie
T. Russell is the founder of InnerSelf Magazine (founded 1985). She also
produced and hosted a weekly South Florida radio broadcast, Inner Power, from
1992-1995 which focused on themes such as self-esteem, personal growth, and
well-being. Her articles focus on transformation and reconnecting with our own
inner source of joy and creativity.
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