Most people think success comes down to skill. As a keynote speaker and business professional, I’ve learned something different. More often than not, it’s a belief problem, not a skill problem.
I saw this play out in a very real way during my time connected to Navy Football.
When Belief Is Missing
The Naval Academy has a home football tradition that requires the entire Brigade, the student body, to attend all home football games. Liberty, or free time, is not allowed until the game is over.
I hated this tradition.
It wasn’t because of football. It was because of how we played the game. It seemed like every drive was the same. Up the middle. Up the middle. Up the middle. Punt. Again and again until we lost.
During my years at the Naval Academy, our football seasons were dismal. One season, our only win was beating Army. It annoyed me that all the other varsity athletes were required to watch these games, while many of our own sports had winning seasons.
I avoided Navy Football for years.
That changed in 2003 when a new coach arrived from Georgia Southern named Paul Johnson. His first season looked familiar. They went 2–10, but something started to shift.
The next year, Navy began winning. They made a bowl game, which was almost unthinkable based on what I had experienced. And the wins kept coming. Then something even bigger happened.
The 47-Year Barrier
Navy football held a record no one wanted, the longest losing streak against a regular season opponent in Division One football. Forty-seven years against one opponent, Notre Dame.
From a structural standpoint, Navy was at a disadvantage. Strict physical standards. Academic demands. Mandatory service. Daily military training. Notre Dame had none of those constraints.
They should win every year. And they did. Until they didn’t.
The Turning Point
In 2007, in triple overtime, Navy beat Notre Dame and ended that 47-year streak.
When Coach Johnson was asked what changed, his answer was simple. It wasn’t skill. It was belief.
He would walk into the locker room, wipe the board clean, and write: “Believe to Achieve.”
He reminded them daily that their job was to learn to believe. Believe in themselves. Believe in the team. Believe in something others thought was impossible.
He knew it would take years to change that belief, and eventually, it did.
This isn’t just a football story. This is how belief shows up in business, leadership, and life.
You may be facing something where you already have the capability, but you don’t fully believe it’s possible. Or worse, you’ve accepted that it isn’t.
That belief, or lack of belief, will show up in your actions, and your actions will determine your outcome.
Belief Is Not Wishful Thinking
A belief is nothing more than something we accept as true.
Beliefs come from what we read, hear, think, and the people around us. In Navy’s case, the team had accepted that beating Notre Dame wasn’t possible.
But belief alone is not enough. Belief without action is wishful thinking.
“Seeing is believing” is backwards.
You must believe before you can see it, and then you must act on that belief.
How to Build Belief Through Action
Coach Johnson didn’t just change what the team said. He changed how they practiced.
They began preparing as if beating Notre Dame was expected. Every rep, every play, every practice reflected that standard.
That’s where belief becomes real.
When you act as if the goal is already in motion, your performance begins to rise.
Many people say they believe, but their actions don’t match. If your goal is high, your preparation must reflect it. That means practicing at a higher level, preparing with more intention, asking for feedback, studying more, and committing fully to improvement.
I call this ALL-IN action. ALL-IN action means giving your full effort, every rep, every time.
When enough people on Navy’s team committed to that level of action, belief turned into behavior, and behavior turned into results.
The Real Formula
Whether your goal is something that hasn’t been done in 47 years or something entirely new, the same rules apply.
You must believe to achieve, and then you must commit fully.
You will not succeed at first. That’s expected. Every new thing I’ve ever tried, I’ve failed at the beginning, every single one, and the difference is I kept going. I kept improving. I kept committing more each time. That’s the not-so-secret formula.
Believe. Then commit with everything you have. Again and again and again.
If what you’re doing isn’t working, don’t double down on the same approach.
Change the play. Belief is not just about thinking differently, it’s about acting differently.
So if going up the middle isn’t working…
Try a different play. I believe in your abilities. Do you?
CHARLIE MIKE.
Alden
