I wonder what William Blake meant when he said
“The fool who persists in his folly will become wise.”
Here’s one interpretation: “What you believe to be true is true; you can rock any set of beliefs.”
If you believe you need to get an MBA to succeed, then you do. If you think that your company’s culture is poisonous, then it is. If you are certain that you must exercise 5 times per week to stay healthy, then you do.
If you believe that this pill will cure you, this chemical will make you ill, you are no good at sales, your colleagues are bores, this line of inquiry is useless, you are great at your job, your life isn’t working, the Internet is a force of good, your marketing program will work, you can, you can’t…or the opposites of these things…then they/you will/won’t/are/are not/can/cannot.
As far we can tell, no matter which path you take–based on whichever beliefs you use–you will succeed.
Sometimes, though, you can take a shortcut by choosing a new belief.
Look for the shortcuts.
In your corner,
Mike
(your fellow persistent fool)
I forewarded this on to a colleague who aspires to the Olympics. Thanks for the inspirational (and cautionary) message.
Whoops, must correct my spelling – I meant “forwarded”!
BTW: another interpretation is, “Keep hitting your head against that wall until you’re 100% certain it won’t help you. Then, when your headache goes away, try something new.” I like the first interpretation better.