I’m sitting here smiling to myself. Maybe you’ve heard the saying: “If you want to learn something, teach it.” I couldn’t agree more, because I think I might actually be my own biggest fan. I absolutely love stepping onto a stage or walking into one of my workshops. Since I always let myself be guided by the energy of the people in the room, I never know exactly what will unfold during those 60 or 120 minutes.
Of course, I have my PowerPoint presentation, which I constantly adjust and refine. But what I actually say and which stories I tell often only becomes clear in the moment, as the thoughts and stories seem to flow through me. And sometimes afterward, I sit there thinking: Norman, maybe you should listen to yourself more often. Because there’s one thing that teaching—and learning at the same time—has reminded me of once again: The power of our own belief.
We can all hear the same words or read the same Inspiration Letter. One person goes out afterward and changes something in their life. Another nods, thinks it was all wonderful, and still carries on exactly as before. What if the difference isn’t knowledge at all? What if it’s something completely different? But what exactly? Let’s take a quick look at one of our favorite bestsellers—the Bible. It says:
“He replied, ‘Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.’”
As a child, I used to look at the mountain near Waldenburg and imagine it moving a few meters to the left or right if I could just believe hard enough. So, of course, I tried it. And what happened? ... Nothing. Well, how often did we hear things like this as children: “Dreams are just dreams.” But are they really? Because what if the parable was never about Waldenburg or any other physical mountain? What if it was about the mountain inside our minds? A mountain built from everything that has happened in the past, everything terrible that could happen in the future, and all those sentences we’ve collected along the way—like “Dreams are just dreams.” So if our faith were only as big as a mustard seed—and those things really are tiny—could we overcome that mental mountain?
What if someone had repeatedly told you:
“You can do this.”
“Just give it a try.”
“You are good enough.”
“Of course you’re allowed to be successful.”
“I believe in you.”
Or what if someone had given us a formula for how success really works? Years ago, when I met Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, he shared a formula with me: „H = S – F Happiness = Smiles − Frowns.“ In other words: Maybe money is what makes other people feel successful. For him, success was about being happy and having more reasons to smile than to frown. What if you had learned to believe that you, too, are “worthy” of receiving something with ease? That something can become possible if you happily keep going? That you deserve it, too, and that you are good enough to be and have everything your heart truly desires for your life? Because if someone else can have something, why not you?
And if the people around you had believed in you 100% back then—or did so today—instead of simply passing on the beliefs they had learned or picked up through their own experiences... Where would you be today? To put it in the words of Bob Proctor: You might need a telescope today to see how far you’ve come. But as long as you keep doubting, struggling, and listening to the “Yes, but...” people, you probably won’t need a telescope.
And maybe you don’t even need 100% belief. After all, faith the size of a mustard seed is supposed to be enough. That’s exactly why I’m already looking forward to today’s keynote and workshop. Because while I’m standing up there inspiring other people to take another look and perhaps see themselves from a different perspective, the same thing happens to me. I promise to listen to myself instead of merely hearing myself. And then I’ll put what I’ve heard into action. Yes, I will. Because I choose to take my happiness into my own hands.
