Home
>
Success
>
Belief Helps You Succeed But Can It Win A Boat Race?

Belief Helps You Succeed But Can It Win A Boat Race?

On March 27th 2005, Oxford won the annual boat race against their rivals, Cambridge.

A commentator remarked that both teams believed 100% at the start that they would win. Cambridge were described as the beauty because their technique was so good. Oxford were described as the beast because they were heavier and more powerful.

However, as the race started, one of the Cambridge crew did not dip his oar deep enough into the water and it skimmed the surface. As a result, the Cambridge boat got off to a bad start.

Immediately the confidence and belief in the Oxford boat went up a few notches as they soared ahead and the belief in the Cambridge boat went down a few notches.

The reality is that belief does not exist on its own. It feeds on the actions that we take. Belief can recover from mistakes but in the heat of a competition there is not always time to recover enough to win. Fortunately in ordinary life there is more time. You can make hundreds of mistakes and still succeed.

Other factors influence belief like the past history of a competition. These factors are not always decisive but they can be powerful. 63% of the Oxford v Cambridge races have been won by the heavier crew. The Cambridge crew drank lots of water at the start but that could not make up for the weight and power of muscle! They should have picked bigger and stronger men.

In the end and at the beginning, the technique of the Oxford boat was better. It was the newspapers who had fed the lie that the Cambridge technique was superior in order to make their stories more interesting and to create the imagery of the beauty v the beast.

Belief probably did win the race for Oxford but it was a belief that grew as they began to move ahead and realize that they could win and it was a belief that was accompanied by six months of hard training which built power and technique.

In January 2005, Steve McLaren, manager of Middlesborough, was facing Manchester United in one of the biggest domestic English football competitions.

Manchester United is one of the top soccer clubs in the world today but Steve's team have beaten Manchester United in the past and he took the view that this past success might give them the belief they need to win:

"Belief comes from past performance. We know what it takes to win at Old Trafford (the Manchester home ground) against Manchester United".

Steve believed that his team needed both belief and a bit of luck. In the end his team lost 3 nil. What went wrong? Maybe the belief was just a vague hope. To be effective belief needs to be expectation.

Horatio Nelson understood this at the battle of Trafalgar. His famous signal to the British fleet was:" England expects every man to do his duty."

By expecting the best from his sailors, he brought the best out of them. It is interesting that he did not say: "England expects victory."

No one can decide in advance who wins in any competition whether it is a game or a war. Any gambler will tell you that. The other side may well have some secret weapon. However, every one can control how they perform as individuals. Everyone can do their duty.

Results in any type of competition are out of our hands. Good results will usually follow hard work but the competition might be working harder than us and they may be more talented than us. All we can do is work our own socks off.

Maybe Steve McLaren should have told his team that he expected them not to rely on luck or past performance but to work as hard as they possibly could. Sheer effort is an element that can make beliefs come true even against heavy odds. Certainly luck is important but we all know the famous saying: "The harder I work, the luckier I get."

Belief is not overrated but it must be strong enough to create some great expectations and must be accompanied by hard work and skill.

It also helps if the other team have a bad day and get off to a poor start.

About the author

John Watson is an award winning teacher and martial arts instructor. He has recently written two books about achieving your goals and dreams.

They can both be found on his website: http://www.motivationtoday.com along with a daily motivational message.

The title of the first book is "36 Laws To Ignite Your Inner Power And Realize Your Dreams Now! - Acronyms, Stories, And Pictures?Easy To Remember And Use Everyday To Grab Your Life And Soar With The Eagles"

The book can be found at this URL: http://www.motivationtoday.com

The book uses acronyms, stories and pictures to help readers remember 36 laws that can gradually transform your life if you apply them.

You are welcome to publish the article above in your ezine or on your website so long as you do not alter it and keep in the words about the author and the 36 Laws.

cleaning team near Winnetka ..

In The News:

Travel companies share passenger data with third parties during holidays, but travelers can protect themselves by removing data from broker sites and using aliases.

Xpeng's humanoid robot moves so realistically that crowds believed it was fake, marking a major advancement in robotics technology ahead of 2026 commercial launch.

Researchers discover phishing scam using invisible characters to evade email security, with protection tips including password managers and two-factor authentication.

iPhone and Android users can reduce battery drain and data usage by restricting Background App Refresh to Wi-Fi connections instead of mobile networks.

Scammers nearly stole an Apple account by exploiting the support system with authentic-looking tickets and phone calls, users can protect themselves with safety steps.

FoloToy restored sales of its AI teddy bear Kumma after a weeklong suspension following safety group findings of risky and inappropriate responses to children.

Threat intelligence firm Synthient uncovers one of the largest password exposures ever, prompting immediate security recommendations.

Viral video shared by Elon Musk shows Tesla's Optimus humanoid robots performing tasks from cooking to construction, garnering over 58.5 million views on social media.

Chinese hackers used Anthropic's Claude AI to launch autonomous cyberattacks on 30 organizations worldwide, marking a major shift in cybersecurity threats.

Apple's new Sleep Score feature gives you a rating for your nightly rest quality. Learn how to set it up on your Apple Watch and iPhone today.

Essential phone settings to enable before losing your device, including Find My network, location services and security features for iPhone and Android.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Cybersecurity research shows weak passwords remain a major threat, with simple patterns and number sequences putting millions of accounts at risk.

New Android malware BankBot YNRK silences phones, steals banking data and drains crypto wallets automatically. Learn how this advanced threat works.

FDA approves first human trial for Paradromics' brain-computer interface that could restore speech for paralyzed patients through neural technology.

New phishing platform QRR targets Microsoft 365 users across 1,000 domains in 90 countries. Learn how to spot fake login pages and protect your accounts.

OpenTable now uses AI to track your dining habits and share insights with restaurants. Learn what data they collect and how to protect your privacy.

Google's discontinued Nest thermostats still secretly upload home data to company servers despite losing smart features, raising serious privacy concerns.

New Android malware NGate steals NFC payment codes in real-time, allowing criminals to withdraw cash from ATMs without your card. Learn protection tips.

DoorDash confirms data breach exposing customer names, emails, addresses after social engineering attack. Learn how to protect yourself from scams.

Concerned about Google's AI scanning your Gmail? Learn how to disable Gemini features that access your emails, Drive files and Chat messages for privacy.

Google warns Android users about dangerous fake VPN apps hiding malware that steals passwords, banking details and personal data from phones and tablets.

Apple's digital passport feature lets iPhone users breeze through TSA checkpoints this holiday season using Digital ID technology at 250+ airports.

A new phishing scam targets family photos with fake "Cloud Storage Full" alerts. Criminals steal credit card information through fake sites. Learn protection tips.

South Korean scientists create ultra-thin fabric muscles that turn clothes into robotic assistants, lifting 33 pounds while weighing under half an ounce.

Belief Helps You Succeed But Can It Win A Boat Race?

Success