This I Believe

I believe that one of the keys to living a successful life is speaking what I want, thinking what I want, and hearing what I want. I believe my first step, is to surround myself with friends and family who can encourage me and never discourage me. Years ago, when I was learning to ski, I told a friend about an imminent ski trip. “Betcha gonna fall”, they said. Now, I believe things that people say have a funny way of worming their way into other people’s thoughts, which brings me to my next point. I believe I need to keep my mind on what I want. If I dwell on what I don’t want to happen, it will probably happen. My friend had said I am going to fall, so on the drive up, I got worked up with all the ways to crash while skiing. This, of course, is the worst thought I could have had before skiing. I believe the most important step is saying what I want. The reason I think this step is the most important is because it practically combines the other two. I believe my thoughts have to form before I say them, and then when I voice these thoughts out loud, I hear them. Now I think hearing myself say something is much more impactive than hearing someone else say it. So on my ski trip, we were nearing the top of the mountain and I was gibbering to myself, “I can’t ski, I’ll fall.” So what do you think I did on my way down the mountain? I toppled over. Since I learned about these important steps, I’ve always tried to keep my thoughts and mouth in check. I truly believe that hearing, thinking, and saying what I want are true keys to life.