The power of belief is an amazing thing, it has helped people accomplish some of the most incredible feats in history. Feats that no one thought were possible, until someone with incredible belief showed it was possible.

I am going to share with you one such story of an incredible young man who had tremendous belief in himself.

The Sydney to Melbourne race snakes across Australia’s beautiful south east corner covering a distance of almost 550 miles.

It’s considered a real man killer even by seasoned ultra-runners who are used to racing across the hottest deserts and the coldest most  barren terrains on the planet.

In 1983 Cliff Young decided to enter the inaugural event. Cliff was not your average athlete. As a cowhand, Cliff was responsible for rounding up cattle after violent thunderstorms.

He knew he had high levels of stamina, but this was another matter altogether because most of the entrants were super fit runners in their prime.

Cliff was 61years old with little competitive experience.

However, the one thing Cliff possessed was a burning belief that he could, and would, complete the race. He didn’t have any self-limiting beliefs.

There were calls for him to be banned for his own safety, but  whereas the rules excluded runners that were too young, nobody could see anything discriminating against people being too old. So the organizers reluctantly allowed Cliff to run.

It was a hot day in Sydney when Cliff turned up wearing overalls and galoshes over his work boots inviting howls of derision from some of the 150 competitors and growing interest from the press and spectators.

The race started and, to nobody’s surprise the farmhand was soon lagging behind the seasoned runners.

He had a very strange way of running that meant he barely lifted his feet off the ground and moved forward looking more like a cross-country skier than a marathon runner.

Half way through the first night Cliff rather remarkably took the lead.

Rather than stopping for the traditional sleep break that most ultra-runners took part in, Cliff took a fraction of the time the others took and just kept going eating pears straight out of a tin as he ran to give him energy.

By the following morning, much to the amazement of everybody, Cliff had built up a substantial lead.

It was an impressive performance but the old-timer was inevitably going to relinquish his lead when he needed to stop for a proper break himself. Only he never needed to do so.

He was driven by the belief that he could rest for as long as he wanted once the race was over.

Nobody had told Cliff he was supposed to stop for 6-hours every evening, so he just kept on running and running and running.

Cliff did the unexpected in finishing the race. But he did the truly remarkable in not just winning it, but amassing a staggering ten-hour winning margin. Cliff Young decided what was possible for him and he set his own beliefs about what he could achieve.

A 61-year-old amateur rewrote the book on distance running.

Suddenly others realized what was possible and started to believe that if Cliff could do it, so could they. They didn’t suddenly increase their stamina overnight, but they did increase their belief in what was possible.

No athlete has ever won the Sydney to Melbourne race since then taking regular sleep breaks.

What is the takeaway from Cliff Young story?

The most powerful thing in the world is not a weapon. Its the persistent belief that is so deeply engrained in our subconscious mind that it propels every decision we take in life. People possessed by such intense beliefs have the capability to change the world, for the better or worse. Because the stronger their belief and subsequent action is, the more the chances are for others to become affected by it and start believing in it. And how do we build the power of belief – is by taking a leap of faith and doing things one step at a time. Some people are born believers, they don’t need to do things in a small way to believe they can, they already know they can do it.

To others, we can help build this belief in themselves by constantly motivating them and encouraging them and not by doubting their abilities. 

Eg.: When a child is trying to climb a window or a trapeze, parents shout from behind saying don’t do it you will fall, be careful. This constant reminder to the child that he might fall, impacts his own self belief in a big way. It gets implanted in his subconscious mind and effects his later actions in life.

So we always have to be encouraging instead of acting as breakers. The Power of Belief has its limits if it is not supported by appropriate SKILLS. 

Do things one step at a time. Accomplish a task and then move to the next. When you are able to perform a task you feel good this motivates you, increases your self belief and helps you take the required action, which results in positive outcome. The more you do, the more skill you acquire. The more skill you acquire, the more capable you become. The more capable you become the stronger that belief becomes. 

And with a strong you, come what pandemic in your life, you will be able to fight it out as you have that BELIEF!

-By
Farida Mesiwala,
Parenting & Happiness Coach,
Behavior Counselor, Corporate Trainer