Belief (noun): Something one accepts as true or real; a firmly held opinion or conviction. e.g.: ‘We’re prepared to fight for our beliefs.”

Funny that the dictionary gives “fighting for our beliefs” as an example; that is the reason I love the word.

A belief carries tremendous power, because it is connected to emotion. All throughout history we have seen people putting their lives on the line for something they believe in. Beliefs fuel progress and change. It motivates people to push through any obstacle because they’d rather lose themselves trying to find happiness than conforming to norms they don’t believe in.

Though I think that happiness exists within ourselves, and it is our duty to find it every day, I believe that sustained happiness is achieved by investing consistently in education. Education does not necessarily mean going to class everyday. It just means learning something new each day and forging a habit of appreciation, self-evaluation, and critical thinking.

I believe that education leads to freedom and freedom to happiness.

This belief is so strong in my mind and heart that it redefined my life. I was feeling burnt out and stuck. Now I feel empowered and motivated to take on any challenge and to learn a lot about myself, my loved ones and the world I live in.

Experience Institute is the start. What I find here is a community of people that also have beliefs and are willing to put everything on the line rather than spend another day without trying to be the best they can be.

Here is where storytelling comes into play. Stories communicate beliefs in ways that awaken the instinct to find happiness. Stories have the power to generate great action. I want to learn how to tell stories that will make you want to go into the world and change or make something.

This year I expect to find hundreds of fascinating people that can show me how to inspire others to believe in themselves enough to produce change. In a year, I expect to write another post confirming that I was not wrong about what I’ve written here today, and that the risks taken were worth it. Because in the end I found what I was looking for: a way to be consistently happy.