Lifting yourself and others through your conviction
Feb 24, 2022
Conviction versus consensus
The difference between conviction and consensus is a total certainty about what you want with no other to validate, believe in, or back you in your quest. We are social animals and therefore so often feel the need to get consensus about what we want to do. Therefore, we ask many people their opinions and thoughts on a career or project that we want to do.
The Risk
This dissuades so many from taking a risk because when you ask others about it, you’re going to get lots of sensible feedback, pointing out the tremendous risk in taking the risk.
Really, that just doesn’t help at all because these roadblocks, whilst real, seem insurmountable rather than bumps along a long rocky road, and too often seep away your belief that you can succeed. That’s different from asking for help or an opinion from somebody that you trust, not an opinion on whether to do it, but for insights to help you achieve.
Your Conviction
It’s your own conviction that counts and once you convince the world that you are going to succeed no matter what, then they get inspired and get behind your project. Be prepared that often this happens long after you need the real help. Conviction is a fantastic source of inspiration because with conviction comes a vision of what is possible. Conviction without a vision or a plan is just a dream and whilst the dream can inspire briefly unless a plan emerges, it quickly fades, as do your chances of succeeding.
When you know what you want, it is time to lift other people. So you encourage them to help. The key is to do this the right way, with a down-to-earth enthusiasm that encourages you to keep taking small steps forward when things get difficult.
Ways to uplift
Some ways of lifting others are to consider appreciation projects, such as finding a person to lift every day or every week. You can do as easily as a smile, a kind word or compliment, or buying a homeless person a coffee. How about writing an email to friends or colleagues telling them what you appreciate about them and what you admire about them?
Effect on your Mindset
Your imagination can run wild, inventing ways to show appreciation of others. This is powerful and effects your mindset, especially when things are going wrong in your own life. Giving something of yourself to others helps you get out of your own head, or at the very least brings back some perspective.
The Key
The key here again is to do this off your own back rather than seek consensus on what others think of the idea or if others agree that it’s a good thing for you to do.
Life is not about fitting in, it's about standing out through your actions. Someone on a mission, someone with conviction stands out, someone seeking consensus does not!
Reverse engineering
When your conviction gets wobbly, try reverse engineering.
Ask yourself these two questions:
“What would it take for me not to achieve my goals?”
“What are the things that I would have to do in order for me to not achieve my goals? "
These two questions, once answered, can give you fresh impetus and enthusiasm for the job at hand. In turn, it will motivate you and those around you because you and others will not want to do the things that will prevent you from reaching your goals.
Written by David Sammel