Achievable.

Pat Riley, formerly of the Los Angeles Lakers organization, is the winningest coach in NBA history. Some say he was fortunate because he had such incredible players. It's true that he had incredible players, but many people have had the resources to succeed and have not done so consistently. Pat's ability to do this has been based on his commitment to CANI! In fact, he said that at the beginning of the 1986 season he had a major challenge on his hands. Many of the players had given what they thought was their best season in the previous year but still had lost to the Boston Celtics. In search of a believable plan to get the players to move to the next level, he decided upon the theme of small improvements. He convinced the players that increasing the quality of their game by a mere 1 percent over their personal best would make a major difference in their season. This seems ridiculously small, but when you think about twelve players increasing by 1 percent their court skills in five areas, the combined effort creates a team that's 60 percent more effective than it was before. A 10 percent overall difference would probably be enough to win another championship. The real value of this philosophy, however, is that everyone believed that it was achievable. Everyone felt certain that they could improve at least 1 percent over their personal bests in the five major areas of the game, and that sense of certainty in pursuit of their goals caused them to tap even greater potentials. The result? Most of them increased by at least 5 percent, and many of them by as much as 50 percent. According to Pat Riley, 1987 turned out to be their easiest season ever. CANI! works if you commit to it.

Remember, the key to success is developing a sense of certainty—the kind of belief that allows you to expand as a person and take the necessary action to make your life and the lives of those around you even greater. You may believe something is true today, but you and I need to remember that as the years go by and we grow, we'll be exposed to new experiences. And we may develop even more empowering beliefs, abandoning things we once felt certain about. Realize that your beliefs may change as you gather additional references. What really matters now is whether the beliefs you have today empower or disempower you. Begin today to develop the habit of focusing on the consequences of all your beliefs. Are they strengthening your foundation by moving you to action in the direction you desire, or are they holding you back?

" As he thinketh in his heart, so is he."

—PROVERBS 23: 7

We've discovered so much about beliefs, but in order to truly take control of our lives, we've got to know what beliefs we're already using to guide us. So right now, stop everything else you're doing and take the next ten minutes to have some fun. Begin to brainstorm all the beliefs you have, both those that empower you and disempower you: little beliefs that don't seem to matter at all and global beliefs that seem to make a big difference. Make sure you cover;

• If-then beliefs like, " If I consistently give my all, then I will succeed, " or " If I'm totally passionate with this person, then they'll leave me

• Global beliefs, like beliefs about people—" People are basically good" or " People are a pain" —beliefs about yourself, beliefs about opportunity, beliefs about time, beliefs about scarcity and abundance. Jot down as many of these as you can imagine for the next ten minutes. Please give yourself the gift of doing this right now. When you're done, I'll show you how you can strengthen your empowering beliefs and eliminate the disempowering ones. Do it right now.

EMPOWERING BELIEFS:

DISEMPOWERING BELIEFS:

Did you take enough time to make sure you wrote out both lists, both the empowering beliefs and disempowering beliefs? If not, go back and do it now!

What have you learned by doing this? Take a moment now to review your beliefs. Decide upon and circle the three most empowering beliefs on your list. How do they empower you? How do they strengthenyour life? Think about the positive processional effects they have upon you. Years ago, I made a list like this, and I found it invaluable because I discovered that I had a belief that was underemployed. It was the belief " There's always a way to turn things around if I'm committed." When I read my list, I thought, " This is a belief that needs to be strengthened and turned into a conviction." I'm so glad I did because only about a year later that conviction was a life preserver that pulled me through one of the toughest times, a time when everything around me seemed to be sinking. Not only did it buoy my spirit, but it also helped me deal with one of the most difficult personal and business challenges I had yet faced. This one belief, this sense of certainty, enabled me to find ways to turn things around when everybody around me said it couldn't be done. I not only turned things around, I turned my biggest challenges into my biggest opportunities—and so can you! Review this list and strengthen your emotional intensity and sense of certainty that these beliefs are true and real so they can guide your future behaviors.

Now let's take a look at your limiting beliefs. As you review them, what are some of the consequences that these beliefs carry with them? Circle the two most disempowering beliefs. Decide right now, once and for all, that you're no longer willing to pay the price that these beliefs are charging your life. Remember that if you begin to doubt the beliefs and question their validity, you can shake their reference legs so they no longer impact you. Knock those legs of certainty out from under your disempowering beliefs by asking yourself some of the following questions:

1. How is this belief ridiculous or absurd?

2. Was the person I learned this belief from worth modeling in this area?

3. What will it ultimately cost me emotionally if I don't let go of this belief?

4. What will it ultimately cost me in my relationships if I don't let go of this belief?

5. What will it ultimately cost me physically if I don't let go of this belief?

6. What will it ultimately cost me financially if I don't let go of this belief?

7. What will it cost my family/loved ones if I don't let go of this belief?

If you've taken the time to really answer these questions, you may find that your beliefs have been significantly weakened under the scrutiny of these questions. Now become fully associated to what these beliefs have been costing you and the real costs in your future if you do not change. Link such intense pain that you'll want to rid yourself of them forever, and then, finally, decide to do so now.

Finally, we can't get rid of a pattern without replacing it with a new one. So right now, write down the replacements for the two limiting beliefs you've just eliminated. What is their antithesis? For example, if you had a belief that " I can never succeed because I'm a woman, " your new belief might be, " Because I'm a woman, I have resources available to me that no man could ever dream of! " What are some of the references you have to back up this idea so you begin to feel certain about it? As you reinforce and strengthen this belief, it will begin to direct your behavior in an entirely new and more empowering way.

If you're not getting the results you want in your life, I suggest you ask yourself, " What would I have to believe in order to succeed here? " Or " Who is already succeeding in this area, and what do they believe differently than I do about what's possible? " Or " What's necessary to believe in order to succeed? " You may very well discover the key belief that's been eluding you. If you're experiencing pain, if you feel challenged or frustrated or angry, you may want to ask yourself, " What would I have to believe in order to feel the way I do? " The miracle of this simple process is that it will uncover beliefs you aren't even aware you have. For example, if you're feeling depressed and ask yourself, " What would I have to believe in order to feel depressed? " you'll probably come up with something that relates to the future, like, " Things will never get better, " or " There's no hope." When you hear these beliefs verbalized, you might well think, " I don't believe that! I feel bad right now, but I know it's not going to be bad forever. This, too, shall pass." Or you may just decide that a belief about having problems permanently is totally destructive and one you're not willing to ever consider again.

While you're examining these limiting beliefs, notice how your feelings change. Realize, believe, and trust that if you change the meaning of any event in your mind, you will immediately change how you feel and what you do, which will lead you to change your actions and thus transform your destiny. Changing what something means will change the decisions you make. Remember, nothing in life has any meaning except the meaning you give it. So make sure that you consciously choose the meanings that are most in alignment with the destiny you've chosen for yourself.

Beliefs have the awesome potential to create or destroy. I believe you picked up this book because deep down you've decided you will not settle for less than the best you know you're capable of. Do you truly want to harness the power to create the vision you want rather than destroy your dreams? Then learn to choose the beliefs that empower you; create convictions that drive you in the direction of the destiny that calls to the highest within you. Your family, your business, your community, and your country deserve no less.