I saw an interesting movie over the weekend, It’s called “Akeelah and the Bee.” It follows the often used plot of incredible underdog coming out of a disadvantaged environment to compete in the national spelling bee. It uses a lot of tried and true plot mechanisms, but it is extremely well done and the hero, an 11 year old girl is sharp, down-to-earth and likable. One of the supporting cast, the principal of the middle school, is well known from his roles in “Revenge of the Nerds.” The central theme of the movie, and why I bring it up, is that our biggest obstacle to success is not the fear of failure, but the fear of success. Put a different way, in order to succeed we have to be able to picture ourselves as successes. As Akeelah says it simply in the movie, “I need to get over me.” I can certainly think of many times in my life when I couldn’t get out of my own way and it kept me from performing up to my potential. Every time I get a golf club in my hand, my brain becomes my worst enemy. Speaking of golf, Tiger Woods talks about the importance of visualizing every shot before he hits it. I sure wish I could do that. Akeelah remembers the really tough words by memorizing them while she jumps rope. It puts a rhythm into her learning and takes the natural resistance out of her brain. As we approach finals, it’s a good time to think how you can best picture yourself as a success. If you get a chance to see the movie, “Akeelah and the Bee.” you may find yourself getting inspired. Picture yourself succeeding and you will.