Whether You Think You Can, Or You Can't by Brody

Whether You Think You Can, Or You Can't by Brody - November 2018 Scholarship Essay

“Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right” - Henry Ford

The quote above has embodied my attitude and thought process on issues and hurdles that have presented themselves to me since I was eight years old. I was in the middle of a 20-40 yard “bear crawl” at a little league football practice. I had always had trouble with bear crawls as they hurt and required a great amount effort. My father was walking alongside me, he was the coach at the time. I had finally collapsed approximately 20 yards from the finish line. “I can’t,” I said; “I can’t.” I repeated. By this point in time, I had already been walked to the finish line by two or three other coaches on the coaching staff. My dad knelt next to me and got quiet for a half second; Then he spoke, “Whether you think you can or can’t, you’re right.” and left me to my own thoughts. I finished my bear crawls, but my contemplation of those words were far from over.
I came back to him after practice a few weeks later, and asked for a deeper explanation of those words. He told me that they were a Henry Ford quote, and that if I could live by those words I would probably live a good and happy life.
These words have come to embody my mentality towards everything, and as often as they pay off, they just as often get me into situations I have to dig myself out of. However, I always seem to get out of the holes I dig, and come out smarter and more prepared because of them.
These words define me in that if I have the slightest figment of doubt in mind towards a task I have ahead, I will pro-con the entire situation out. This is both a blessing and a curse. More often than not, my self-confidence in my own ability to handle situations and tasks is through the roof. With that being said, there is often times that I don’t feel confident about an issue or subject. That's often when I remind myself that if I believe I can accomplish something, I will make it happen.
For example: if I am rebuilding a Chevy 350 motor, I’ve done it two or three times now. I know every step by heart, as it is something I enjoy. But if you put some foreign V6 on my stand and told me to do nothing but make horsepower, would I do it? Yes, to one hundred percent of my ability, just not very fast. I would first do tons of research on that specific motor and how it’s built, and the problems that people often have when they’re rebuilding this motor.
These words have come to define me in both the negative and positive ways, in all aspects of my life. I can trace it, like a faint outline, in every one of my past and current actions. It hurts my head to do, but I enjoy doing it. It gives me a way to see how I have handled situations wrong, and how I could handle them in the future. I do this because I believe I can improve upon myself, and I know I will never believe that I can’t.