“Believe! Believe! Believe!”
I’m not sure where I saw this. It was a clip of Anthony Hopkins on some late-night talk show. The host asked, “If you had one piece of advice to give a young actor … or just a young person struggling these days, what would it be?”
Anthony Hopkins—the REAL Anthony Hopkins, not Hannibal Lecter—is a pretty cool guy, totally unpretentious and very available with a kind word and a helpful smile. He answered without hesitation and with great passion:
“Believe! Believe! Believe!”
Here’s another version of the speech that Anthony Hopkins delivered for the Class of 2020.
“Believe in yourself,” he said. Believe in your destiny. Believe in your capability.
Even if you must force yourself, Believe! See your dream realized and believe in it.
Even, Anthony Hopkins meant, when your own crazy mind (read Resistance) is beating you up with self-doubt, even when your friends and loved ones are undermining your self-confidence, even when there are truly legitimate reasons to question your project or your dream … peer in the mirror and tell yourself with all your heart, “You can do it! Believe! Believe! Believe!”
DO THE WORK
Steve shows you the predictable Resistance points that every writer hits in a work-in-progress and then shows you how to deal with each one of these sticking points. This book shows you how to keep going with your work.
THE AUTHENTIC SWING
A short book about the writing of a first novel: for Steve, The Legend of Bagger Vance. Having failed with three earlier attempts at novels, here's how Steve finally succeeded.
NOBODY WANTS TO READ YOUR SH*T
Steve shares his "lessons learned" from the trenches of the five different writing careers—advertising, screenwriting, fiction, nonfiction, and self-help. This is tradecraft. An MFA in Writing in 197 pages.
TURNING PRO
Amateurs have amateur habits. Pros have pro habits. When we turn pro, we give up the comfortable life but we find our power. Steve answers the question, "How do we overcome Resistance?"
You are always worthy.
If in any doubt…
Speak yourself into existence!
Jim, thank you. I love that.
You’re welcome Kathy. Glad to hear.
Add on
👌
Here’s one on that theme: One of my brothers was a Marine F-18 pilot. A “Hornet driver.” He was home on leave one Thanksgiving. He was maybe a major at the time. We were at a family gathering where some of the neighbors were also invited.
People were standing around talking, waiting for the turkey to be carved. A grandfatherly neighbor brought his 12-year-old grandson over to introduce the boy to the Marine fighter pilot. My brother is tall, 6’3″, slim, imposing, with a clean Marine Corps haircut. The boy looked up at John, appearing a bit hero-struck.
Grandpa put his hand on the boy’s shoulder and said, “Major, what advice would you give a young man like this who’d like to fly jets someday?”
I was intrigued by the question, and waited for John’s response. I don’t know what advice I expected to hear. Maybe: “Take flying lessons as soon as you can.” Or “Go to Purdue and study aerospace engineering.” Or “Work out, run, and get physically fit.”
John looked down and said to the boy, “My best advice is that you ‘think big thoughts.'”
That was his whole answer. Off to the side, I privately nodded in acknowledgment of the simplicity and the truth of it.
Great story Joe. Here’s our homework this week. Think big thoughts and believe, believe, believe.
Ya, Jackie!
Powerful and just like you keep saying in The Daily Pressfield, Thankyou Steve.
Great advice that never gets old. Thank you!
I really appreciate you Steven thank you ever so much for your thoughts every week!
Thanks Steve. Needed to hear this today. I’m reminded of Miracle on 34th Street with a young Natalie Wood telling herself, “I believe, I believe.” Dreams do come true.
Believing in myself was a turning point in my life that I started to feel the connection with my higher self and the universe, I started an automatic upgrade of myself
Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, But a good word makes it glad! – Proverbs 12:25 Thanks, Steve, for the good word today. Believe, believe, believe!
There were so many who tried to shut off my belief, that just ignoring them became a substitute for active believing. I seem to have an inner gift for ignoring that which I don’t want to participate in.
So True! Thanks, Steve.
Thanks Steve. Great reminder for all ages!
Thank you.
🍃🌸🍃
Thanks for the encouragement
I needed that exact message today.
Adoro esses dois caras! Um citando o outro. Isso para mim é o tesouro.
Thank you Steve.💪💪🙌🙌
Yes. Ted Lasso. Believe.
Thank you, thank you – and thank you again!
Wonderful post.
I needed this today 🙂
Love this – thank you.
“Pull time into your solar plexus”
Thank you so much dear Steve! So strange a feeling, belief. When I think of mobilizing it, I immediately feel a gap inside. I know I can say it to myself for a few moments, but then the word disappears – only my general mood remains, and that is what determines whether I “am” belief or not.
It can’t be called forth, unless we have other high quality weapons. That’s my experience.
On the other hand I still keep faith. There are things that seem to have ended but I keep faith. I believe.
(Not all things, I move my consciousness away from some disastreous ones – I keep faith in things selectively)
And of course my work of art and its forthcoming purpose that was revealed are completely insane and completely gigantic too, but yet belief is there although I have lost many times the “do the work” stuff. Belief in them as creations and as they fit with my existence, but not belief as in my self.
Symbols. Powerful ideas that we believe in. Can we believe in ourselves, or in certain ideas outside us?
In my expirience, I can believe in certain ideas. Maybe ideals. They are like destinations. Yes, I can believe in that.
P.s. Kate made a beautiful song “lost & found”. When you walk at a sandy beach those evenings and the waves touch your toes, you want to have it with you!
This is great! Reinforcing thought for the ongoing commitment.
I (for no known reason) changed my background on my remote meeting video to the BELIEVE yellow and blue sign behind my head for my morning meeting.
I hadn’t even realized I had that image.
Then after the meeting, I read my personal email, and got this.
What a wonderful synchronicity. Thank you
So true! And timely. I’m currently rereading The Magic of Thinking Big. Same message. It takes practice and perseverance though.
Good luck everyone! You can do it.
And thank you Steve ❤️
“Faith is choosing to believe the best will happen.”—Thx, Steven
Thanks Steve! I have set my sights on a big adventure with my husband as entrepreneurial business owners. We are excited about it – something to aim for together in our 70s. Yes, we Believe, Believe, Believe!
Reading & hearing this today was a helpful boost!
Anthony is a very kind man. As we believe in ourselves so can we believe in the goodness of others and the goodness of the unknown. I find this a consoling thought that uplifts the souls and keeps energy moving.
I believe
Amen!!!!
It’s amazing to hear a message that encourages us to stand by our dreams no matter what. Thanks for sharing this—definitely needed to hear it today!