I was coaching a client this past week on her goals. She would love to make $100K a year but doesn’t think it’s possible without working 80 hours a week and sacrificing her home life. I told her that belief was the only thing stopping her from doing it. She answered, very skeptically, “so you want me to play make believe.”

I thought it was interesting, at this time of year, when we spend so much time focused on believing in things like Santa Claus and Elf on the Shelf, that she was so reluctant to consider the idea of believing something she doesn’t yet believe.

Why do we teach our kids about Santa? Why do we spend ridiculous amounts of time moving an elf around the house?

I know why I do it. Belief is magical. I love watching their eyes light up. I love to see the awe and wonder in their face. I love to see the pure joy that emanates from their being. I love the excitement.

Believing in the impossible is amazing. Kids do it all the time, but most adults seem to have forgotten how and don’t think it’s a worthy endeavor.

During the month of December, I’ve been thinking about an impossible goal I want to set for 2020. Not just a goal. An impossible goal. I’m not going to “play make believe” that I can accomplish it. I’m just going to believe it. Period.

I don’t want you to pretend to believe something. I want you to actually believe it. Why? Because believing something is possible fuels emotions that will drive incredible actions and create even more incredible results. Belief is magical.

Would you rather believe you can’t do it and stay exactly where you are? Or… believe something that’s impossible is possible and maybe, just maybe, make it possible simply by believing it?

In the first case, you have no chance of getting it. Wouldn’t you rather give yourself a chance? What if you actually achieved it? What do you lose by choosing to believe?

Three kids go to visit Santa. The first one doesn’t believe at all. The second wants to believe but has a lot of doubts. The third believes completely. Which one has the best experience visiting Santa?

The first child probably doesn’t care about the experience at all. The second child is torn up inside, full of doubt and confusion. The third has a magical experience.

If you don’t believe you can achieve your dreams, you’ll never try. You’ll stay stuck where you are. If you think maybe it’s possible, but you’re full of self-doubt and focus on all the reasons it won’t work or all the reasons you aren’t good enough, you definitely have a better shot, but not a very good one.

What if you just choose to believe? Choose to believe in the impossible. Choose to believe in yourself without any evidence at all that you can do it. Your experience will be entirely different. Even if you don’t achieve it in the end… you’ve lost nothing. But you’ve gained a life full of magic, wonder, awe, and excitement.

And what if you can make all you dreams come true?

You’ll never know unless you try.

I Believe.

What about you?