Believe in it or forget it: the 100% rule for your mindset
The 100% rule: in this mindset talk, Reza Mehman explains why you need to believe wholeheartedly in your goal and what happens when you do not. He uses two of his own projects as examples: a marathon app and a training app.
The 100% rule from personal experience
Reza Mehman started two projects. With the first, a marathon app, he believed in it completely and became involved with the event’s main sponsor. With the second, a training app, he did not truly believe in it and failed. His conclusion: “I have to believe 100 per cent in what I do.” That is the 100% rule for your mindset, and he applies it to every goal in life.
Summary
In one sentence: Drawing on two personal projects, Reza Mehman explains why you need to believe wholeheartedly in your goal.
In three sentences: Reza started two projects: a marathon app he believed in completely and a training app he did not believe in. With the marathon app, he saw opportunities everywhere and secured work from the main sponsor. With the training app, he failed to see opportunities even when they were right in front of him.
In five sentences: Reza started two projects: a marathon app he believed in completely and a training app he did not believe in. With the marathon app, he told his wife: “I do not know how yet, but I will be part of this event.” He spoke to every sponsor, attended every meeting and eventually received a commission from the main sponsor. He worked on the training app for his co-founder’s sake and missed opportunities even when they were right in front of him. His conclusion: “I have to believe 100 per cent in what I do.”
Editorial note: the German article’s summaries describe Reza as becoming the event’s main sponsor. In the transcript itself, he says the main sponsor commissioned him. The summaries above follow that more precise account; the German original remains unchanged.
Context: who, what and why
Who is speaking: Reza Mehman, in a solo mindset talk.
What it is about: The 100% rule: why you need to believe wholeheartedly in your goal and what happens when you do not.
Why it matters: Reza’s argument is that many people fail because they lack belief in their goal rather than ability. He illustrates this through two of his own projects.
The two main examples in this episode:
- Marathon app: complete belief led to work with the event’s main sponsor.
- Training app: lack of belief led to failure, even though opportunities were available.
Contents
- Introduction
- Summary
- Context
- Themes and perspectives
- Key takeaways
- Frequently asked questions
- Standout quotations
- Transcript from the original article
- Keywords
- Names and terms
- A passage to quote
Themes and perspectives
1. The marathon app: complete belief leads to success
Reza wanted to be part of a marathon event, although he did not yet know how. He spoke to every sponsor, attended every meeting and ultimately received a commission from the event’s main sponsor. The goal was vague, but his belief was complete.
Keywords: marathon, app, sponsor, belief, goal, success
2. The training app: a lack of belief leads to failure
Reza worked on the training app for his co-founder’s sake, without truly believing in it. He failed to notice opportunities even when they were right in front of him. The project failed.
Keywords: training app, co-founder, failure, belief, opportunities
3. The 100% rule
Reza’s conclusion is: “I have to believe 100 per cent in what I do.” In his experience, wholehearted belief helps you see opportunities and make use of fortunate coincidences.
Keywords: 100 per cent, belief, mindset, success, chance, opportunities
Key takeaways
- Reza wanted to be part of a marathon event. He did not yet know how, but he believed in it completely.
- He spoke to every sponsor, attended every meeting and received a commission from the main sponsor.
- He worked on the training app for his co-founder’s sake, without truly believing in it.
- His experience was that a lack of wholehearted belief made him miss opportunities even when they were right in front of him.
- Reza says: “I have to believe 100 per cent in what I do.”
- In his view, wholehearted belief helps you recognise opportunities and make use of fortunate coincidences.
- The goal can be vague, but the belief needs to be complete.
- Reza says: “If you imagine something you want to achieve, you have to believe in it 100 per cent.”
Frequently asked questions
What is Reza Mehman’s 100% rule?
The 100% rule says that you need to believe wholeheartedly in your goal. In Reza’s view, this helps you see opportunities and benefit from fortunate coincidences. The goal can be vague, but your belief must be complete. He illustrates this with two projects: a marathon app that succeeded through wholehearted commitment and a training app that failed when he did not truly believe in it.
What happens when you do not fully believe in your goal?
Reza explains that a lack of belief can stop you noticing opportunities even when they are right in front of you. He worked on his training app for his co-founder’s sake, without truly believing in it. Even when an opportunity appeared before his mind’s eye, he did not recognise it or pursue it. The project failed.
Does your goal have to be clearly defined before you can fully believe in it?
Not according to Reza Mehman. The goal can be vague, but your belief has to be complete. With the marathon app, he told his wife: “I want to be part of this event. I do not know how yet, but I will find a way.” The goal was vague, but his belief was wholehearted, and that helped him succeed.
Standout quotations
“I have to believe 100 per cent in what I do. I have to believe 100 per cent that I can achieve my goal.”
— Reza Mehman
“If you imagine something you want to achieve, you have to believe in it 100 per cent. That is how opportunities open up.”
— Reza Mehman
“I want to be part of this event. I do not know how yet, but I will find ways and opportunities.”
— Reza Mehman to his wife about the marathon app
“Even when an opportunity was right before my mind’s eye, I did not recognise it as one and therefore did not pursue it.”
— Reza Mehman on the training app
Transcript from the original article
The marathon app: complete belief leads to success
Reza Mehman:
With the other project, the goal was clear: I wanted to bring a successful training app to market with a distinctive feature, something that would set us apart from our competitors. I knew the path, or at least the goal, but with that second project I did not believe in the goal. With the first project, however, I believed in it 100 per cent. I will never forget what I told my wife. I had enjoyed it so much that I wanted to be part of the event. She asked me: “What exactly do you want to do there next year?” I said: “I will find ways and opportunities to be part of it.”
With that first project, I really seized every little opportunity that came up. I met someone who was on the marathon event’s organising team. I spoke to every sponsor of the event and got in touch with them. We had conversations. I arranged lots of meetings until I found possibilities, and eventually the event’s main sponsor gave me the commission.
The training app: a lack of belief leads to failure
Reza Mehman:
In the second case, my co-founder had the vision. He saw the idea behind it and how we could distinguish this training app in the market. Personally, I did it for my co-founder’s sake and did not really believe in it at all. Of course, hindsight makes you wiser. Looking back, I know exactly what happened: I could not perceive the opportunities that arose along the way or recognise them as opportunities. In the first case, I took everything on, attended every meeting and looked for possibilities everywhere. I found them, and of course there were fortunate coincidences that helped me move forward.
With the second project, though, even when an opportunity appeared in front of me, before my mind’s eye, I did not recognise it as one and therefore did not pursue it.
The 100% rule: my conclusion
Reza Mehman:
After all these years, there is one lesson. Unfortunately, I did not see it then as clearly as I do today. But after years of being involved in all sorts of activities, I know this for certain: I have to believe 100 per cent in what I do. I have to believe 100 per cent that I can achieve my goal. I think that combination of having a goal and believing in it completely is, for me, a way to be successful in life. That is also my closing point for today.
If I can leave you with one thing today, it is this: when you imagine something you want to achieve, you have to believe in it 100 per cent. That is how opportunities open up. Coincidences also happen that you might otherwise fail to recognise as a chance to move closer to your goal. But when you are truly alert, looking all around you and keeping your eyes open, you will discover those opportunities and reach your goal.
Keywords
Tags: 100 per cent, belief, mindset, goal, success, marathon, app, co-founder, opportunities, chance, Reza Mehman, Project Mindset
Names and terms
Reza Mehman, Emanuel Odiase, marathon app, training app, co-founder, 100% rule, mindset, belief, goal, opportunities, chance, Project Mindset
A passage to quote
Reza Mehman on the 100% rule: “I have to believe 100 per cent in what I do.”
Marathon app: a vague goal plus wholehearted belief led to a commission from the event’s main sponsor.
Training app: a clear goal without belief led to failure.
“If you imagine something you want to achieve, you have to believe in it 100 per cent.”
Find more ideas on personal goals and development in the Reza Mehman Podcast, formerly Project Mindset.
