If you love someone, give them this. The unfair advantage my parents gave me. Arguably the most important ingredient for a fulfilling life.

What did my parents give me?

Was it my exceptional comedy abilities? My jokes always get a good laugh, sometimes even from others.

It could be the unmistakable fact that I’m a Casanova, according to the 28 single women in my area who want to connect with me. Where did I remember seeing that again?

Maybe it could just be that I’m well-endowed, and the paediatrician who told me this last week sees a lot of patients.

Joking aside, it was simple. It was belief.

The necessity of belief

My parents have always believed in me; told me I could do what I wanted to do and be what I wanted to be.

I never realised how much of an advantage belief really was until I spoke to others. They were always putting their ideas down, lacking confidence in their aspirations. That’s when it hit me. I developed a belief in myself because someone else believed in me – my parents.

Sometimes people don’t have parents to believe in them, sometimes people’s parents don’t believe in them, and sometimes no one believes in them. But you can. And If they fail, that doesn’t matter. What matters is that they start believing in themself.

So unless your friend is about bankroll the next Nigerian prince, give them the gift of belief for Christmas.

If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t, you’re right.

Henry Ford