Kindle Notes & Highlights
the brain and nervous system cannot distinguish between an experience that is real or one that is imagined.
Since your brain is a computer and it is programmed by words, thoughts, and actions, it is imperative that every word, thought, and action be a concise, positive affirmation.
So the first thing you need to do is to start using powerful positive words to build a powerful mind and body.
For the next seven days make an honest effort to bombard your mind with positive affirmations. When you wake up in the morning, think that you are strong, powerful, and happy, whether you feel that way or not. Throughout the day, reinforce these feelings and thoughts. If at times negative concepts enter into your mind, stop yourself from dwelling on those thoughts, analyze why you are having them, and manipulate them into positive affirmations.
Belief is ineffective without action. All of the positive thinking in the world won’t make you great, but positive thinking, sound goals, and hard work will. You can believe that.
If by chance you find yourself saying something negative, STOP yourself, analyze why you used a negative, and manipulate it into a positive affirmation. By self-monitoring your words, you will eventually be able to eliminate the negative and focus on the positive.
never picture yourself doing anything wrong. Always see yourself as being confident, relaxed and positive.
both anxiety and joy can cause a similar physiological response. However, anxiety is interpreted as an undesirable response, whereas joy is interpreted as a positive response. Briefly, cognitive interpretation is what separates one emotion from another.
In simple terms, the perception of threat and the individual’s subjective interpretation of the situation are directly related to how much anxiety the individual will experience.
The real threat to quality athletic performance is worry, self-doubt, and apprehension.
by continually pairing an anxiety or fear-provoking stimulus with deep muscle relaxation, you can eventually learn to relax in the presence of that stressful stimulus.
in-vitro conditioning. To start, visualize the scene that makes you the least anxious on your hierarchy. Visualize this scene for approximately 15 seconds. If at any time you get nervous or anxious while visualizing the scene, immediately terminate it. If termination of the stimulus is required, again induce deep muscle relaxation and repeat the visualization of the same scene. Continue this procedure until you can remain totally relaxed while visualizing the anxiety-producing stimulus.
when Helen Keller was asked if blindness was the greatest handicap that a human being could experience she replied, “No! The greatest handicap is having sight but no vision.”
In Logotherapy you have three sets of goals: primary, secondary, and long range. Your long range goal is one that will be accomplished in approximately six months to a year. Your secondary goal is one that you will achieve in a week. Your primary goal is one that will be accomplished daily.
