I Believe It. I Need You to Believe It.

"Past performance is not indicative of future results” is good news for anyone facing a major life setback.

Any advertisement you see for an investment firm includes the required disclaimer, “Past performance is not indicative of future results.” They are legally required by the Securities and Exchange Commission to let you know not to base your buying decisions on past events. In the unlikely event a certain stock may have doubled every year for the past 10 years, even then, there is no guarantee you will enjoy the same results.

What does this have to do with your present situation? Everything. That statement is often viewed negatively. In other words, don’t get your hopes up too high. However, “past performance is not indicative of future results” is good news for anyone facing a major life setback.

Everyone has experienced a major setback. Whether it was a job loss, divorce, financial crisis, or health condition, we all face them. If you live long enough, hopefully you can look back and see that you eventually overcame what was once an impossible hurdle, or that the impossible ended up working out in the end. It never feels that way when you’re going through it.

Believing

My neurologist looked at me and said, “You’re going to get better!"

Disbelieving, I said, “How do you know that?”

He said words that have stuck with me since: “I believe it. I need you to believe it."

After I suffered anoxic brain injury from cardiac arrest, a neurologist explained how my recovery might look. He said in years past, expert neurologists believed that whatever state of improvement a person gained in the six months after a brain injury was considered their baseline. Their progress after a year was their maximum possible improvement. There was good reason to believe that. Back then, those beliefs were based on existing brain research and patient outcomes.

On my first visit to my neurologist, I was not in a good place, mentally, emotionally, physically. I had been struggling for two years with symptoms I didn’t understand and couldn’t stop. I explained to my neurologist how a previous doctor told me I reached my limit. There could be no more improvement.

My neurologist looked at me and said, “That's a terrible diagnosis. You’re going to get better."

Disbelieving, I said, “How do you know that?”

He said words that have stuck with me since: “I believe it. I need you to believe it. When you believe it, your brain will put itself in a position to heal, and it will begin to heal.”

My doctor said the outdated research and old beliefs were proven false. Why? Because of neuroplasticity. The word has become more well-known because of better research and verified patient outcomes.

“Neuroplasticity, also referred to as brain plasticity, means that every time you learn something new… your brain physically changes—it upgrades its hardware to reflect a new level of the mind. Neuroplasticity helps explain how anything is possible.” 1

I had struggled for two years. It felt like failure every day. I didn’t understand my symptoms, know how to overcome them, or even manage them.

Past performance is not indicative of future results. Our brain’s ability to create new neuropathways means my future isn't cemented with today's status. I can change. I can grow. So can you.

A couple of years ago, I was sitting in the emergency department waiting room with a relative. I was glad I wasn’t the patient that time. Like most hospitals, the waiting room had multiple areas and an empty seat was difficult to find.

I was sitting near the admitting desk, so I watched three people walk in, distressed. An older woman’s husband was taken there by ambulance and arrived just minutes earlier. Apparently, he was at home feeling just fine, and then he wasn’t. The woman’s young adult daughter was crying and near hysterical. Her boyfriend was with her, and he didn’t say much.

An hour after they sat down, near me, a nurse came out and said they could see their husband and father, but not for a while. It was unclear if he would ever function again, or even recognize is family. More tears followed.

After the nurse left, I felt compelled to talk to that family. Some people wouldn’t want to be bothered, understandably. That wasn’t the case with this family. I learned that their family member either had a stroke or heart attack. It was still unclear. He was unconscious for quite some time. The daughter was attending college in Germany and came back to visit her family and introduce them to her new boyfriend. He knew very little English.

I briefly shared my story with the family. The point was that, when they finally would be able to see their husband and father, he likely wouldn’t look good. In fact, things might look grim. I challenged them not to judge his future by what they would see in the following moments.

We all need to remain hopeful for one thing or another. As Winston Churchill famously said, “If you're going through hell, keep going.” When you’re going through it, the easiest and most common thing to do is to believe that is how things will always be.

Your situation can change for the better. Thanks to your brain’s ability to change, anything is possible.

I believe it. I need you to believe it. 