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Do you remember the children’s story about the little train engine that had a big hill to climb? The hill was so steep that with all the cars he had to pull, it looked to observers that he wouldn’t be able to make it up the hill.

But this little engine had an attitude.  He looked at that hill and said, ” I think I can! I think I have the power to get over the top.” and he started  to pull.

The train didn’t budge so he threw on more coal and said, “I think I can.” He pulled hard and the train started to move.  He continued puffing, not giving in to the hill but kept steadily pulling and saying, “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.” Sweat poured from his brow as he neared the steep top.

Could he make it over the top? If he could it was all down hill from there.

He threw on more coal and strained as hard as he could – pull – pull – pull, as he gritted his teeth saying, “I think I can! I think I can! I think I can!”  With that last uncompromising pull the little engine that could toped the hill and he victoriously proclaimed, “I thought I could!”   All down the other side, in high spirits, he chugged, “I thought I could!  I thought I could!   I thought I could!”

When that little engine said “I think I can. “ he didn’t say it with uncertainty like so many people do.  He wasn’t saying, maybe I can”, but he was saying  with resolve,  “I can do this, I have no doubt.” If he had had doubt he would have never pulled that hard, the sweat would not have ran down to the track and he would  have given up.  That last little bit was so brutal that he would have said that he couldn’t do it .  He only made it because he totally believed that he could….and he did!

So many people start to pull up the hill of accomplishment but they get near the top and doubt starts to overcome them.  The pull gets hard and they don’t really know if the top is all the pull there is.  They become fully persuaded that they can’t do it and they stop.  All that pulling for nothing.  Yet, they remember that from the start, down deep inside them,  they thought that they could never accomplish it anyway.

Doubt subtracts from your resolve, your self belief, and the value of the prize, and in the end you conclude that it isn’t worth the trouble after all.

“I can” , gives power.  It adds the “coal” to your fire.  It builds your resolve and courage.

Not only did the little engine se the top of the hill he saw the other side. By seeing the reward it made the pull worth the effort.

Moral?  Don’t see the hard and the possibility of failure – see only the victory and the prize at the end.
You’ll not only make it to the top but over the top.

Winona Cole

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