Believe in Yourself

I was recently listening to Amputations, by Death Cab for Cutie from the album: Something About Airplanes. In this version, at the beginning and end of the song, you hear a man’s voice speaking. This man is Glenn W. Turner, he is essentially a motivational speaker. However, who he is, is inconsequential to the message that is brought forth in the excerpt on this song. I’ve heard the song plenty of times but have never payed full attention to what he was really saying, I mostly caught just brief words. I decided today to look it up and I was impressed by what I read. I’m not one for motivational speaking but the lines in this particular speech is relevant to me and I hope it will be for you also.

“And if we seem nutty to you and if we seem like an odd ball to you, just remember one thing. The mighty oak tree was once a nut just like me.

And I pray to God that one day, He will grant me the power to reach out and hold my hand over your head and give you instant belief, ’cause you don’t have instant belief. You’ve been hooked, you’ve been crooked, you’ve been lied to so many times, that you’re suspicious-minded. And when the right thing comes along, you don’t believe in it. When I’m coming in knocking on the front door, you’re out the back door looking for four leaf clovers. And when you find it, you think somebody planted it there to fool you. ‘Whats the angle?’ You look for an excuse. In this modern day and age we have instant coffee and instant tea–instant disbelief. That’s the reason we will never become anything–it is because we will never believe in ourselves. We will always listen to the mass majority. If everybody’s making fun of you and criticizing you, then you know you’re on the right track. Cause most people ain’t got it.”

-Glenn W. Turner (From Amputations)