There Is No Try

You don’t see the world through your eyes, said Tom McCarthy in his Bootcamp presentation yesterday. You see it through your brain.

And that means, despite the possibilities you see in front of you, your brain can sap your confidence and “psych” you out of taking action.

It’s the biggest challenge Tom’s seen with entrepreneurs he’s coached. They look at experts who’ve had success in business, and they think, “They are too far beyond where I am with my business.”

It’s true that there are some amazing people out there who have done amazing things in the business world. But, said Tom, they are no better than you.

Their success is not just due to the strategies they have or the time they’ve spent learning those strategies. Those things are important. And you should model them. But the thing that really sets them apart is how they see the world.

The good news is that you can reprogram your mind. You can change the way you think about your capabilities.

Instead of thinking that success is not possible for you — that successful people are somehow different — create an extraordinary vision of yourself, Tom told Bootcamp attendees. And act on it. As you create new thoughts and take new actions, you create new connections in your brain. The more you practice and get out of your comfort zone, the faster the process becomes.

At first, it will feel awkward — or even a little weird. But you will get better and better. And eventually, you will program yourself to see opportunities that you couldn’t see before.

As Yoda said (And the reason I quote the Jedi Master is that Tom McCarthy did): “There is no try. Only do.”