A whole train of passengers (individually brave enough) will be looted by a few highwaymen, simply because the latter can count on one another, while each passenger fears that if he makes a movement of resistance, he will be shot before anyone else backs him up. If we believed that the whole car-full would rise at once with us, we should each severally rise, and train-robbing would never even be attempted. There are, then, cases where a fact cannot come at all unless a preliminary faith exists in its coming.
William James, The Will to Believe
William James, a philosopher from the American pragmatist tradition, wrote “The Will to Believe” in 1896 in response to another philosopher’s claim that we should suspend belief until we have enough evidence to justify the belief. James argued that on the important things in life, suspending belief prevents the world from becoming the way we want it to be.
In my younger days, I was very harsh on James’ thesis. As I’ve matured a bit, I see that there’s a lot of truth to it. For instance, have you ever noticed that when you acted as if people were trustworthy and helpful, they became trustworthy and helpful? Were you to have acted in ways that signaled you didn’t trust them, they would’ve change their behaviors accordingly. Your beliefs and actions had a large role in making the state of affairs match them.
My clients are often scared to talk to me about their ideas because they’re scared they’re not good and aren’t worth pursuing. As a result of their beliefs and actions, their ideas never see the light of day where we can improve upon them or just see how good they were in the first place. They come in wanting some sort of proof that their ideas are worthwhile before they talk about them without realizing that it’s the withholding of the idea that kills it.
Because people are afraid of failing and believe and act as if they will fail, they end up scripting reality to match their beliefs. Hence the important point of learning to become comfortable with failures and mistakes is that you’re less likely, in the end, to make the biggest mistake: to remain steady, dependable, and run-of-the mill. Being remarkable is risky and brings its share of mistakes, but the bigger risk is to sit on the sidelines waiting for the world to give you your chance.
I’m not at all saying that there’s some spooky or weird force out in the world that makes the world match your intentions and actions. What I’m saying is that in the social but isolated world we live in, our intentions, energy, and actions change the social environment around us. People want to be a part of something, they want to be excited, but they’re waiting for somebody else to be the catalyst for change. Their time, they think, will come when the world is ready for them. So they wait.
The world is ready for you today. We want to see the best parts of you, and we want you to share the value you bring to the world. Sure, we’re scared to tell you that, or we’re busy, or lost in our own worlds, but when you show up, we’re ready for you. It’s the way we are.
But if you’re waiting for proof of this before you act, you’ll never get it. Proof comes afterwards.
So, what would you do differently if you believed that the world would stand up with you?
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Well said. This is a constant issue for me. Thanks for writing this post.
I’ve developed a habit of finding lots of things that are not what I would do if I thought others would stand with me and pursuing those distractions. Fighting it off is very hard.
Justins last blog post..Just enough time for some awesome…
Charlie,
Hear, hear!
It’s the Law of Attraction, explained in terms of psychology rather than woo-woo! It’s what Seth Godin is talking about in the Tribes book!
This is an awesome post. I’m going to go twitter it right now.
Paces last blog post..I like blogs! Do you like blogs too?
Charley!
Picked this up from Pace’s twit. This is awesome! A great reminder to move forward despite/because of discomfort. If its not new or risky, its not much. Like swimming with sharks, it gets us awake and our blood pumping!
Joe Noonans last blog post..Fully
@Joe: It’s a daily fight for a lot of us. The good side, if there were one, is that it makes it all the better for those that push through it. If everybody stood up, it’d be harder to be noticed. “Fortune favors the bold…”
@Pace: I should be more sympathetic to the Law of Attraction – I haven’t read enough of it to critique it, but I’ve read enough to be skeptical. The end results are the same though, so maybe some people just need the story to make it work.
Thanks for tweeting this, though! Much appreciated!
@Joe: Perhaps a good trick is to use the discomfort as a gauge. If you’re uncomfortable about something, there’s probably a good reason: is it really bad, or just something new for you. If it’s the latter, go for it!
This is a fantastic post.
I definitely agree that people are about as good and trustworthy as we give them credit for – I have always been pleasantly surprised by random people I have met on craig’s list, and the genuine goodness of them when I give them a chance.
Stumbled!
Sid Savaras last blog post..6 Things NCAA Football 09 Taught Me About Life
I just happened to click on your blog from your SU profile and I’m glad I did! This article reinforces many of the things that I believe in. Take action and don’t wait for anyone else and treat others how you would like to be treated yourself. Great article!
Steve C @ MyWifeQuitHerJob.coms last blog post..Why Our Online Business Almost Failed And How We Recovered
@Sid: Thanks! Very rarely do people let me down when I trust them. When I don’t trust them, they invariably let me down. Odd, eh?
@Steve: Thanks a ton for the comment, Steve. Maybe we should say treat others as if they were going to treat you how you’d like to be treated?