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One of my grandfathers owned a construction business. He was technically a developer, since he bought land, subdivided it, had employees and subcontractors, built the houses, and sold them to people, but he really liked doing the actual physical construction aspect of it.

He wouldn’t let me go to the construction sites while there were workers there, but he would take me after hours, explain things to me, and warn me of the dangers of wandering around a construction site. I’d tell him what I thought of the houses and he would listen seriously. (Great stuff for a little kid — this happened while I was between the ages of 4 & 7.)

He’d work on construction-related projects at home too, like finishing out the basement or building me a swing. When he did those things, I would sit and “help” him. I was always fascinated by the way he pounded in nails. Bam BAM! Two hits and the nail was in, every time.

I’d try it myself, but the result was always more like bam bam bam bam bam bam bam ow bam ow bam bam ow! At the end, the poor little nail would be bent and still sticking halfway out, and I’d have a sore thumb. I got lots of experience with prying nails out and trying again.

I kept thinking there was some trick to it. I asked him how he did that, and he said he looked at the nail and visualized it going in. Of course, he was certainly stronger and a lot more experienced than me, but he had it right: visualize what’s going to happen, really believe that it’s possible, and it will.

Maybe it will take some work.

(I still can’t pound in nails the way he did, and I still hit my thumb sometimes, but now I can get them in straight and sturdy.)

Maybe it’ll take some practice.

(I’m working on getting them in in two hits. After all, I know it’s possible for someone to do it; I just need to believe that it’s possible for me to do it.)

But believe, and it will happen eventually.