During the Wimbledon Tennis Tournament last month, 15-year old Coco Gauff captivated the tennis world by beating her tennis hero, Venus Williams, in the first round and then advancing to the fourth round of the tournament before being defeated.

In an interview after one of her matches, she elaborated on the significance of her dad’s words in her early days of playing tennis. He told her that she could be the best in the world at tennis. She said during the interview that for some reason she actually believed him.

She clearly is not the best in the world at this point; however, at age 15 she is well on her way to reaching that distinction at some time in her tennis career.
I’m amazed by the power of words. In particular, the power of the words we tell ourselves.

It’s natural for us to get caught up in our day to day habits and routines, but our current circumstances don’t need to define our future. It takes intentional effort to step out of our routine and consider what we really want for our future.

We certainly aren’t all going to be the best in the world at tennis, but we all have the power to change our thoughts and words about our marriage, career, retirement and many other aspects of life. Just like Coco, it’s not just telling ourselves what we want for our future, but it’s believing it and then taking the necessary actions to make it a reality. What new thoughts do you have about your future?