Most times when the word faith is used, people immediately go to religion and often assume it has nothing to do with business. Yet faith is defined as an inner attitude, conviction or trust related to a higher power. In Christian theology, faith is the divinely Inspired human response to God, so in contrast couldn’t faith in business be the trust and inspired response in yourself, your people and your process?

I can hear John Hiatt’s song “Have a Little Faith” playing in my head… “When the road is dark and you can no longer see, let my love throw a spark and have a little faith in me.” To me, faith is believing in something without having empirical evidence. It is taking a leap, a risk and feeling confident that you won’t fall or if you do fall, you can get right back up. It is a powerful tool in business because if you believe in everything that you have built including your people, process, products and even your customers, your business will soar without you touching and being involved in every single aspect of your business.

But having faith requires hard work and true commitment since it will be tested frequently and in the most trying of times. It will be tested when our perfect plans don’t end up being perfect, when our well rehearsed presentation doesn’t go well, when our workshops and teleseminars only have a few attendees or when we are having trouble converting our leads to sales. It is very easy to get distracted and start to believe the worst, but that is where faith comes in.

True faith exist in the face of adversity and is real when everything on the surface is pointing you down the path of least resistance and preparing you to give up on your dream. It is the one thing that holds you together when you have to leave your business to attend to other matters and it is one of the biggest drivers to keeping you motivated and on the path to your dreams.

So how do you hold on to your faith to forge ahead and drive your results?   Here are some tips:

1. Know that your faith will be tested over and over again. To have true belief in something, you must not waiver and must hold on to that truth. For example, if you really believe that your product will revolutionize the market but you are having trouble with investors and manufacturers, keep the faith in your product and yourself and you will find the solution.

2. Be clear about what you want. When you become uncertain and lose your faith, doubt moves in this negative emotion can take over your world. Remain focused on your goal and on your objectives and stake claim to what you want. The universe has a way of helping you reach your goals, you just need to be able to identify what it is you want and be specific.

3. Surround yourself with positive influences. In times of adversity or when you start to feel that doubt and uncertainty is testing your faith, reach out to your support group and allow their faith to re -energize yours. Be honest and open and allow these individuals to be your guides, advocates and strength. These are your dream champions and will carry you all the way to your goal.

4. Accept failure as part of growth. Failure is inevitable; every successful person has failed one time or another. It is part of the process of growing and enriching our lives. Learn to accept failure and treat it as a learning experience and an opportunity to improve.

Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe. – Gail Devers