You have to believe it before you can see it.

Can’t see it yet? Do you believe (in) it?

It’s a slight modification, but makes a large subtle shift:

1. Do you believe it?
2. Do you believe (in) it?

What’s the difference? #1 sounds more external, more objective. #2 more like something that you’re a part of–or need to be. Maybe you need to believe in it before you can believe it. You need to believe in it before you can see it.

“But I can’t see it,” you say.

If it’s your goal, your achievement, your destination and you can’t see it, you can’t envision it or just can’t imagine it happening, it’s probable that you can’t yet believe it–and that’s why you can’t see it.

Your health, your success, your big win, your small win, it doesn’t matter. You have to first believe it before you can see it.

I was a pole vaulter on the track team. Like most sports (all sports?), it’s mostly in your head. I needed to see myself soaring over that bar in my head before I could make it happen on the track. If I didn’t believe it, I couldn’t see it–then I certainly wasn’t able to do it.

You have to believe it before you can see it. — Esther Hicks

I read that some American Indians were on the east coast some few hundred years ago and there were some structures on the horizon. They were ships from Europe, but because the Indians didn’t know what they were, they couldn’t see them. In other words, because they didn’t believe in ships because they had never encountered them before, they couldn’t actually see them. Their eyes couldn’t see what their brains didn’t understand.

Could it be the same with us? We can’t see our success because we haven’t experienced it before?

So how can we believe it? Do you just say, “I believe it.” and you’re all set? That might help, but you’re going to need to feel it before you can believe it and then you can see it.

“Is it difficult?” you ask.

Yes and no.

It’s difficult to see when you don’t believe it.

It’s effortless to see when you do.