Long ago, there was a brave and driven medieval General in Japan whose army was in a great predicament. In order to win the war they were fighting, they would have to face an opposing army that outnumbered them and had a reputation of being cruel and vicious in battle. The general was convinced that his army had what it took to defeat the enemy. However, his officers doubted that they could win. This doubt made its way to the troops which left the general with an extremely difficult decision. He knew that he could not defeat the enemy with an army that did not believe that victory was possible. He also knew that defeating the enemy promptly was the only chance for winning the war. He decided to consult with his officers with this dilemma. The meetings did not go well and the men could not decide on a course of action.
The General decided that they should let the gods decide their destiny. Being devout in their religion, everyone agreed to this decision. The army marched to a temple and spent a day in meditation. At the end of the day, the general stood before his troops. He took a coin from his pocket and declared that he would let the gods reveal their destiny by a simple flip of the coin. He told his troops that heads would be a declaration from the gods to fight the enemy and win a glorious victory. A tails flip would tell the army that the gods want them to disband, go home and forget the fight.
The general flipped the coin and revealed to his troops that it had landed heads up. The troops were inspired. The officers were confident. The army marched into battle and won a tremendous victory over their enemy. The gods had assured them of their destiny, and they honored them with brave and courageous fighting.
At the end of the battle a trusted officer approached the general and stated, “No one can change destiny, sir.”
The wise and heroic leader smiled at the young officer, tossed him the two headed coin that he had flipped and simply said, “You’re right.”
The determined general had conviction. He believed that his troops could defeat the enemy and he found a way to make his troops believe as strongly as he did. He did not let their doubt deter him from the task. He stayed focused and found a way to change his circumstances and make his men believe. He was a strong leader because he brought his army together to accomplish a common goal.
Conviction is our determination and focus on goals. It is the sense of purpose that we have that inspires us to accomplish the goals we are striving to reach. It is the backbone we must have to fight through adversity we face on the way to victory. Conviction, finally, understands that circumstances are the crutches of a loser, and champions continue to move forward despite the circumstances that surround us. It is conviction that gives us the courage to remain loyal to our beliefs and fight. Our conviction is the reason that we continue to believe when everyone around us begins to doubt. It gives us the strength to inspire those that are unsure about the task ahead and lead them to victory.
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