Believing is a skill.

There’s a story behind that.

This is your daily message from Chad number 1187 to upgrade your mental game today by telling yourself a better story, because the most important story you hear is the story you tell yourself. And this message is dedicated to Joanne Elizabeth Smith on her 70th birthday and is still playing on the basketball court. She played in a basketball tournament this year. Amazing!

You can get a free copy of my book, The Most Powerful Story in the World, by going to fromchad.gumroad.com. What have you got to lose? It’s free! The transcript of this message and hundreds of others are always available at http://www.fromchad.com.

Here’s the upgrade:

You think the things you believe are set and static, but upgraded thinking realizes your beliefs are skills that can be trained.

Here’s the story:

The night before young David stepped onto the valley floor to face Goliath, three of his friends came to his tent to say goodbye. They had already concluded that he was going to die out there. When they asked David how he could possibly remain confident against a giant who was a forty-point favorite, David simply looked at them and said, “I have my slingshot, and Goliath’s so big—how can I possibly miss?” This story perfectly illustrates the incredible mechanism of a core belief.

A core belief is the foundational lens through which a person interprets reality. We don’t see the world the way it is; we see the world the way we are. Core beliefs function as internal filters that govern our perception. Crucially, a core belief does not have to be objectively true to be believed. I’m sure you know people who live their lives on bogus beliefs. Because perception becomes reality, a core belief alters how we process every challenge.

This is not woo-woo, psycho-babble. Core beliefs do not appear out of nowhere; they are built through repetition, focus, and internal narration. You become what you think about most of the time. Every thought held repeatedly in the mind acts as a seed planted in a neutral field, bound to produce a harvest of its own kind. Don’t believe me? I can prove it. I can instantly make you happier. Want to take on my challenge? Think about your favorite animal. Maybe you have a pet or a friend’s animal that came to mind. You didn’t enter into a state of euphoria, but you felt a little happier.

We’ve told the Cherokee story before of the two wolves fighting inside every person—one representing fear and anger, the other representing joy and courage. When asked which wolf wins, the wise elder replies, “The one that you feed.” Be careful what you say to yourself—you’re listening! By constantly feeding certain thoughts you reinforce underlying core beliefs. The encouraging news is this means core beliefs are skills—mental habits that can be learned, improved, trained, and mastered.

Core beliefs are essential because what you believe ultimately determines how you behave. They function either as “stumbling blocks” that paralyze action or as “stepping stones” that propel progress. When someone operates under a limiting core belief, they focus on fear and hold back. Conversely, an empowering core belief aligns subconscious actions with goals, allowing an individual to step forward with full commitment. It’s a truism at this point: whether you think you can or think you can’t – you’re right!

The better story to tell yourself is, “My core beliefs are skills I control.” Ultimately, life presents everyone with giant obstacles. Whether those obstacles defeat you or elevate you depends on the mental filter you bring to the fight. Changing your life does not require shrinking the giant; it requires feeding the right wolf and choosing a core belief that turns an intimidating threat into a target too big to miss.

Now, you may agree with my message today or not. I’ve seen that there are two types of people in the world: those who just think it and those who just do it. I don’t want these messages to be thought-provoking, but change-provoking! Don’t just think it – ink it! Start battling your limiting beliefs today by writing down the antidote belief. Write it 100 times. Write it 1000 times! Your core beliefs are a skill you can train, so start acting as if you believe today!

Tell me a story of thinking one can or thinking one can’t being true to fromchadsmith@gmail.com. Send someone a text and ask them, “Would you like me to instantly make you feel a little happier?”