The Power of the Mind
Image via WikipediaI went to my training session today feeling a little bit flat and tired. It’s been a fairly busy few days for me and my body is feeling it.
Of course, once I got there and got started, it was amazing how much energy I uncovered. In fact, it never ceases to amaze me how much more I manage to do in my personal training sessions when compared to what I might achieve on my own.
As usual, today, there were a number of moments where my mind was going “there’s no way I can do that” and yet, somehow I manage to do it. Sometimes it’s only just. But I constantly surprise myself by doing things I honestly think are not possible.
Which has gotten me to thinking about how much we must limit ourselves by our own thoughts at times.
I had a similar experience to this with netball on Saturday. Before we’d even left home on Saturday morning, I had a feeling I was going to play better than I had been? Why? I’ve been in a bit of a “netball funk” for a few weeks now. Feeling very negative about myself and my lack of netball skills. With some help from a friend or two, I was feeling like I’d finally come out of that “funk”.
Not only did I play better (as far as I was concerned) but I also enjoyed the game a whole lot more and came away from it feeling positive (despite the fact that we lost).
I don’t think it matters how fit or skillful we are - a LOT of our successes and failures happen in the way we view things and the way we THINK.
It kinda makes me wonder what we could possibly achieve if we dared to believe in ourselves….
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It kinda makes me wonder what we could possibly achieve if we dared to believe in ourselves….
Why is it such a frightening thing to believe in oneself?
You know I came away from the game feeling positive too, even though we lost to a team we shouldn’t have lost to. I just felt everyone pulled together and had fun, and encouraged each other. Winning just didn’t feel that important. Now that is a HUGE thing for little miss competitve here to say!
Sometimes the opposite happens to me though.
I have no faith and hope in something and it turns out wonderful.
OR I have so much hope and faith in something and it turns out absolutely awful.
Dina that reminds of something someone once said to me, something along the lines of:
“The less you expect, the more you’ll be pleased”
Mind you, too much of this can turn you into a pessimistic fool like me
But hey, im always pleased!
lol. I am a bit like Dina, though my motto is ‘Be optimistic, but realistic.’
Your question comes after I just watched a movie where Morgan Freeman tells James McAvoy that maybe if he had never been told he could not shoot a bullet around an object, then he would be open to the possibility he could.
And yes, he ended up being able to shoot bullets around objects.
Stuffy - maybe because those who appear to believe in themselves quite often tread all over other people in order to get what they want. It’s a stereotype I know but I fear arrogance (in myself) more than just about anything else. And many arrogant people tend to make fools of themselves - they just don’t realise it. Well, in my experience anyway.
Sharon - we were a team right from the word go (that’s the first time I’ve noticed we’ve all done the warm up together). It was a very positive game. It’ll be interesting to see whether the dynamics stay like that or change.
Dina - agreed. And often it’s easier to expect little and gain more than to expect much and be disappointed.
Horse - yeah. I don’t really know how we get around that one. The fear of disappointment.
Widdle Shamrock - my doctor’s motto to me after my breakdown was “expect the best, accept the worst”. I was struggling at the time with not wanting to be pessimistic in terms of my recovery but not coping well with the let-down of expecting to be better than I was. I do believe there is something to the whole “self fulfilling prophecy” though (living up to ours and others expectations of what we can and can’t do). It doesn’t have to be that way but it can end up that way.
I hate to say it but I think the dynamics will change.
I am intimidated by the person who was missing, and I let her make me feel inadequate. Which is silly I know, because I know in my head that I have much more netball knowledge than her, it just happens, she talks over me and I clam up. Obviously this sends out a vibe to the rest of you because Saturday was just lovely without her.
-side note- please pray for Steph today. Stuggling big time.
I meant struggling, not stuggling….
People who truly believe in themselves do not need to tread over other people to get where they are going. This is because someone who truly believes in themself knows that they’ll get where they want to go by “playing fair”.
If you need to “play dirty” or “tread over others”, you really don’t believe that you can get where you are going on your own merits - ergo, you don’t really believe in yourself.
Arrogance (as opposed to confidence) is a show of fear, an indication that the person exhibiting the trait doesn’t really believe in themselves.
“……..limit ourselves by our own thoughts….”
My thoughts have no limits, my mind goes freely wherever it wants, it’s my body that places the limits. I’m always telling myself “I can do this or that”, then I have a day where holding myself upright (rare, I admit) is painful…So I lie back on the pillows and send my mind off into the fantasyland of planning my dream house.
I’m happy for you though, that you played well and enjoyed the game. It sounds like your ‘funk” is well and truly on the run. I love reading about how fit you’re getting and how much pleasure things give you.
Sharon - it is interesting how 1 person can have an effect like that. I don’t care how much she knows (or thinks she knows) about netball. You’re the coach. End of story. What a pity some people can’t just respect that.
Stuffy - it’s interesting hanging around the 30 Day Challenge gang. Here are people who’ve made BIG money online and yet they’re just as you describe. Not needing (or wanting) to tread on people to get where they want to go. Quite the opposite in fact.
River -
My mind goes freely where it wants too. It’s just not always in a positive, kind to me kind of direction. 
Excellent. Now that you have no need to fear becoming arrogant you have one less excuse stopping you from embracing your innate awesomeness!