Mind Magic

If you’re constantly being zapped by the idea that you can’t do something, or that you’re stupid or less important than somebody else, then eventually you’re going to start believing it.

Confidence is all about one thing: believing in yourself!

The third group (who had done absolutely nothing) showed no signs of improvement. That makes sense – as we know, you won’t get better at something if you don’t practise.

The first group, who had practised for an hour every day, had improved – in fact, they scored around 24% more. For example, if a player had scored 16 baskets the first time around, one month later they scored 20 baskets.

Again, nothing very unusual about that – Alan expected the group that practised to get better at throwing, and that’s exactly what happened.

But what about the second group? That’s where the big surprise came.

That group had done nothing but IMAGINE themselves throwing the ball into the basket – but they had improved too! In fact, they had improved ALMOST AS MUCH as the group that had practised every day!

Had the group been secretly practising? Was it just pure luck? Was it a magic trick?

Nope, Alan realised, the truth was even more astounding: if we IMAGINE ourselves achieving something, then our brains begin to believe that we have already done it and believe we can do it again!

MICHAEL PHELPS is currently the most decorated Olympian OF ALL TIME. He has spoken countless times about the power of his IMAGINATION – how, the night before a race, he played a movie of his swim over and over again in his head – IMAGINING what it would be
like to WIN again, to SMASH another world record.

and I used to hop the ditch (avoiding nettles)

Babies don’t come into this world full to the brim with confidence – just like they don’t come into this world with a mute button.

hear the swoosh of the ball as it dropped neatly through the net.

had a sneaking suspicion

bounce back when things go wrong

to conjure ferocious white tigers from under your parents’ bed.

MAGICAL TARGETS are the ones that are so crazy, so wild and FAR-FETCHED that usually you would never consider them as targets in the first place. Most people miss out on having these targets in their life – but they are just as important as all the other targets that you set for yourself.