One can’t believe impossible things,“ Alice said. ”I daresay you haven’t had much practice," said the Queen. When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast. ~ Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass

I believe in the power of belief. I believe that thoughts are influential. However, until now, my belief has been rather small and limited. For instance, it is easy for me to believe that through will, I can see the bright side of a rainy day; I can focus on something good that might come out of something painful. If I am feeling ill, I can direct my thoughts on health and usually end up feeling just fine.  

When I was young I focused on the negative, and the fact that I now think positively, speaks volumes about the power of belief. Recently, I noticed that I use this power ineffectively and randomly. It is easy to picture health, but I stop short of imagining that my liver is free from hepatitis C, or that the world is free of it too. Somehow, I have it in my head that the only way I can get rid of hepatitis C is through medication, and that thoughts alone are not powerful enough to overcome this virus. After all, I am a nurse who relies on science. I am a “show me the evidence” sort of person.

However, when I limit my belief, isn’t that like saying that electricity can light a lamp but not an entire city? I don’t know what is possible, but it seems inconsistent that I set my dreams so small. It is time for bigger dreams. Leonardo da Vinci believed in flight. He designed a flightless machine in the 15th century, long before airplanes and space shuttles. Why can’t I? Why can’t you?

I say no to narrow beliefs. If I am going to believe, then I am going to believe big. Not only do I want to dream the impossible, I am purging the word, impossible from my vocabulary. This is not to say that I will treat my hepatitis C with thoughts rather than medication. It merely means that when I have limitless possibilities, wisdom has more room to land, and wisdom with a broad landing space has more room to take off.  It is time to let my dreams take flight.