Conviction (n.) - A firm or fixed belief.

Conviction. Belief. Doctrine. Call it what you will, but it all stems from faith. We've all heard the expression, "If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything." and every day it's possible to see the truth in those words. For those that lack a belief in God, a cause, or at the very least, a mental plan that they intend to carry out, end up wandering the streets aimlessly with no vision in mind and they also have the ability to be swayed by anyone's words.

THE IMPORTANCE OF CONVICTION

"The thing always happens that you really believe in; and the belief in a thing makes it happen." - Frank Lloyd Wright. That is the ultimate purpose of conviction...to make your intangible conviction become tangible. When you were young, you might have believed in Santa Claus, the Easter bunny, or the tooth fairy but your belief changed as you got older. Now when you did believe in them, you might have stayed up as late as you could on Christmas Eve, maybe you left a plate of cookies for Santa, or maybe you just kept your hand underneath your pillow so you would know exactly when the tooth fairy stopped by. Whatever you may have done, you did it because you believed in something you never saw and that belief was strong enough to make you want to see what you believe for your own eyes. Even when some of your non-believing friends told you that Santa was a fake and that it was your parents taking your teeth in the middle of the night, your own conviction was strong enough to ignore those naysayers because you believed in something so strongly and no one could shake you of it. The question now is...what happens to our conviction when we grow up?

THE RED PILL OR THE BLUE PILL

"To succeed, we must first believe that we can." - Michael Korda. If you want to shun any and all beliefs and convictions. If you want to "fit in" with "normal, every day" people and not be seen as "different", then take the blue pill. From there on out, you can enjoy a life free of risks. You can live safely "inside" the box without the need for pesky convictions most people around you will claim as impossible. Now, if you want to see what happens when the possibilities are endless. If you want to bind yourself to a belief and hold yourself to your faith even when those closest to you would consider you crazy and will tell you to give up. If you feel you have the determination, strength, courage and desire necessary to see your conviction come to life, then you just might be ready for the red pill. The only catch with the red pill is that you will force yourself to think and behave in ways you may have never thought or behaved before.