A Win for Speech Therapy
I’m so thankful for everyone’s support in my 6th Annual quest to golf 100 holes in a day. We were able to raise more than $55,000 for the Orange Effect Foundation. Over 30 golfers finished at least 100 holes during the day.
Every bit of that money is going directly to children who need speech therapy or speech technology equipment.
Now more than ever, as grants are drying up and insurance isn’t covering speech therapy, OEF is here as a funder of last resort for families who need it. Those of you who gave to the cause made a HUGE difference. Thank you!
Belief Is a Strategy
I’m working on a new book. It’s a business book (sorry to my fiction fans).
It will be ready in time for Content Entrepreneur Expo (CEX) on August 24th. I’ll be presenting some of my findings in the opening keynote.
More to come soon.
But…
I do want to share with you a small section of the prologue.
Whatever your goal in reading this book, you will not accomplish it unless you truly believe you have control to make decisions that affect your life.
Whether you are sitting in a chair at a computer, working on an assembly line or getting ready to go to college, there is only one person standing in your way of success and freedom: you.
As difficult as it is, you must believe you are where you are because of the decisions you have made. You will get to where you are going based upon the decisions you will make.
If we blame someone or something for our lot in life, then we make it true. If we do that, we lose our agency. If we lose our agency, we lose our souls.
What you are about to undertake is hard. This is good news. If it was easy, everyone would do it. And it’s the journey you’ll remember in the end.
“Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” – Napoleon Hill
The prologue was inspired from a quote attributed to Henry Ford: “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t—you’re right.”
If I had to pick one difference between successful and unsuccessful people, it would be this idea. Successful people know they are going to accomplish something. Unsuccessful people will give you many reasons why they can’t do it. Both are right.
Throughout my research for the new book, I kept coming across this fact: You can train your brain to change your outcomes.
The Science Behind Belief
In psychology, there’s a concept called self-efficacy—the belief in your ability to succeed at specific tasks.
Study after study shows that belief often precedes actual success.
When you believe you can improve, you persist longer.
When you persist longer, you get better.
When you get better, results start to appear.
No belief = no effort = no improvement = no success.
Belief isn’t a luxury.
It’s a strategy.
Neuroscientist Dr. Tara Swart emphasizes (great podcast episode here) that our brains are wired to reinforce the narratives we tell ourselves. When we consistently affirm a belief—positive or negative—our brain’s neuroplasticity enables the formation of neural pathways that support this belief. This means that by consciously choosing empowering thoughts, we can rewire our brains to foster confidence and resilience, effectively shaping our reality through intentional belief.
In essence, if you believe you can, your brain rewires itself for that belief. If you believe you can’t, your brain also makes sure that is the case. So…whatever you believe, that is the answer.
On Showing Up
On Sunday I ran the Cleveland half marathon. This year I ran 1 hour 55 minutes and 26 seconds. It was my personal record for the half marathon. I’m crediting the combination of belief, training and eating better, but also, because of the incredible support from friends and family along the way.
My friend Dave also ran on Sunday, but did the 26.2 mile marathon.
His training was solid, his gear was dialed in, and his nutrition plan was on point. But after the race, when I asked what really made the difference—he didn’t mention pace, weather, or carbo loading (he loves mini bagels).
He said:
“Seeing my people on the course changed everything.”
At mile 10, his legs started to feel heavy. At mile 16, doubt crept in. But at mile 17, his friends were there—waving, cheering, yelling like lunatics. And suddenly, the pain backed off just a little. His stride relaxed. His shoulders dropped.
“It gave me this little extra I didn’t know I had,” he said.
It happened again at mile 20. Then again at 22. Each time someone showed up it shifted something in him. Not permanently. But just enough to keep going. To keep pushing. To not give up when the wall hit.
After the race Dave said, “there is no way I break five hours if they did not show up at the last two spots. I was at my lowest and they were there.”
And here’s the truth:
Those people didn’t run a single step.
They didn’t carry his weight. They didn’t remove the blisters.
They just showed up.
And it was everything.
We often think we need to fix something to matter. That support means giving advice, money, or solutions. But in reality, most of us don’t need heroes. We need company.
A friend who texts: “Keep going.”
A peer who shares your work and says, “This helped me.”
A spouse or partner who sits quietly next to you during the hard stuff.
A mentor who simply says, “You’re not crazy for trying this.”
This was always difficult for me personally. Historically, I would be the guy that fixed things. Now, as I’m a little wiser, I realize that is (almost always) not my role. I’m not there to fix anything. I’m there to be. To listen. To care. To show up.
Just showing up—at the right moment—can be the difference between someone quitting and someone finishing their race.
The same goes in business. And in life.
You don’t need a cape.
You just need to be visible. Present. Supportive.
Because sometimes, your presence is the fuel someone else needs to keep going.