As soon as Chey* turned 16 years old, she marched into the local Foot Locker and told the manager she’d like to work there.

She was a “shoe” connoisseur and wanted to sell.

The Manager said, “I’m not hiring and won’t be anytime soon.” “OK,” Chey said and walked out the store. Chey returned every week and upon one visit, the manager said, “Yes.” Chey began working that day.  When asked how Chey knew she’d have a career with Foot Locker, she answered, “I had Faith.” 

Chey had no retail experience, no connections, nothing that could be considered a “foot in the door.” Chey had Faith in herself.  With that Faith, she committed to work at Foot Locker, and she did.

FAITH IS COMMITMENT TO ONESELF, SHOWING UP AND BEING PRESENT, AND BEING READY TO WORK IN THE FACE OF FEAR, DOUBT, AND EXPECTATION.

However, the unknown makes us quiver and weak in the knees when exercising Faith in our abilities.

We have Faith in others and things in spades.   We expect flights to take off or batteries to charge in electrical outlets simply because it’s been done before.   The expectation might as well be synonymous with Faith – but it isn’t.

It was the first person to create the electrical plug that would go into the outlet or the person who built an airplane who had Faith.  The rest of us have expectations.

We live in a highly advanced technological age; therefore, many of us have zero experience exercising Faith in ourselves.  We’re left with expectations, and sometimes those expectations let us down.

Maybe that was the difference between the two candidates in the U.S. Presidential election.

One candidate was prepared, committed, and poised. She had so much experience winning that more than half of the U.S. voters expected her to win. Others lacked enthusiasm and said they had no faith in her. Those voters just didn’t show up.

It was clear from network-to-network media coverage that the other candidate, the President-elect, was familiar with failure, loss, and lack of consideration for others. But when the majority of the votes were counted, it was reported he said,

“I didn’t expect to win.”

What would have completed that admission is if he said,

“I knew I was going to win”

The President-elect showed up, warts and all, as if he already had the job.  He was committed to his decision to run for office and win.  He showed us who he was through social media, and we believed him.

While most of us maintain carefully curated social media avatars and brand images, the President-elect and the soon-to-be First Lady revealed and exposed mostly all, leaving little to the imagination.

Those enchanted by him said he was “keeping it real.” They saw themselves in him and showed up in high enough numbers to propel the most unlikely presidential candidate to the highest office in the United States.

Much to the surprise of everyone, the win shattered expectations because that’s how the law of Faith works.   Faith is no respecter of what you believe; it responds to what you do.

When Chey walked into Foot Locker, the manager saw this teenage girl who was probably annoying, like a fly to alfresco diners. He was no match for her.

In her dossier was not a resume.  Chey had the only thing she needed; Faith in herself and her abilities. Two years after being on the job, Chey was accepted to the University of Cincinnati. It was the same year a Foot Locker opened up near her college’s campus. Chey started school and work without missing a beat; all it took was a little faith.