Such mental rehearsal can greatly improve how well you learn new skills. It’s a well-known fact, for example, corroborated by scientific study, that mental rehearsal enhances the performance of athletes. Olympic athletes, such as the American diver Laura Wilkinson, use it routinely. While preparing for the 2000 Olympics, Wilkinson broke three toes and was unable to go in the water. Rather than stop her preparations, Wilkinson sat for hours each day on the diving platform, repeatedly recreating in her mind a detailed vision of each of her dives. She went on to win an upset victory in the 2000
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