Comments on: How the Mind Determines Athletic Success

By: Dominic Carubba

Dominic Carubba — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 19:49:47 +0000

Hi Lou,
I appreciate what you are saying. In effect, it is that you “do the exercise, and take what you get.” or “sometimes you’re the windshield, and sometimes you’re the bug” analogy works for me. I think that the most interesting thing in your comment was that no matter how you felt or what you thought, you were out “doing your job.”
You were “on the court” and paying attention. That says volumes about what it really takes to succeed. There is NO CORRELATION between success and feeling good. You were doing the work… and that’s the factor that makes the biggest difference in whether or not you are successful.

The flaw in positive thinking is that it is supposed to affect results. You have to do the action to get the result, and that takes commitment. Simple, clear and concise… the pathway to success is commitment to do the work.

I try to ignore my feelings all together and remind myself of what I am committed to in order to get what I want. Sometimes I remember, sometimes I forget. Most of the time, I just start doing what I am committed to as soon as I remember.
I don’t waste time worrying whether or not it was because of my “attitude” or my “beliefs” that kept me from remembering. I just get back to work.

Thanks for an opposing point of view.

By: admin

admin — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:33:52 +0000

Hi Khizar,

Thanks for your interest in our work and for taking the time to write. I’m thrilled that our work is making such a difference in your life.

We are planning a training in the future and if you please send me an email with your contact information, I will notify you when the next training is planned. Send it to: morty@decisionmaker.com.

Regards, Morty

By: Lou Fogel

Lou Fogel — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:45:34 +0000

I completely disagree with this article and premise.

Just because someone with a vested interest in the idea of the “mental side of the game” (i.e. a “sports psychologist”) claims the premise, doesn’t make it true.

Nor do the anecdotal stories by athletes.

I’m a nationally ranked athlete, and I train with dozens of others, many of whom are internationally ranked. Luckily, I and quite a few of those athletes have kept training logs that include our “mental state” before and during practice and performance.

We’ve all noticed the same thing: There is no relationship between how I feel or what I’m thinking and performance.

Some days, we’ve all noticed, we’re convinced we just can’t get it together … and then we’ve set personal bests.

Other days, everything feels great and we’re confident and focused, and we have personal worsts.

And, of course, some times we do poorly when we feel bad, and well when we feel good. In other words, again, we see no relationship.

Human beings LOVE to try to figure out what the causative factors for success are. Unfortunately, study after study demonstrates not only how inaccurate our conclusions are, but how stubbornly we cling to those fallacious theories once we’ve concluded they’re accurate.

As far as I can tell, the only advantage that these theories provide is to the person selling workshops about the application of these theories.

By: Khizar Hayat

Khizar Hayat — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 10:07:40 +0000

I agree with you that the pressure and stress is result of our interpretation and it is all in our head. I remember when I used to go for Shotokan Karate or for working out at gym, there was some negative self-talk inside me and I felt a burden on my self. When I changed a couple of self-esteem beliefs, I felt that burden was taken off my shoulders and the events that once I thought as stressful became fun and I felt stronger. It was as if someone turned down the volume of negative chatterbox every time I eliminated a negative belief. In relationships what once used to make me feel insecure because I believed I was not important, now doesn’t effect me as well and I feel their is a charm that attracts others because they rarely find someone who is so self-assured, calm and not an approval-seeker at all.
I have been reading self development books for years but I have to admit your program was a breakthrough and has really changed my life. Now rarely do I feel stress and when I do, I identify the belief and eliminate it and become at peace. Your program is phenomenal and I recommend it to everyone. Moreover, I want to learn advanced stuff in it as well, so that I and people around me can benefit more out of it. How should I proceed?

By: Adalia John

Adalia John — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 19:30:55 +0000

Your are absolutely correct. I am beginning to conclude that everything we do or not do is based on a belief and that many of our experiences is created in our minds. When we change our thoughts we will transform our lives and control our destiny.

By: Erik Hyland

Erik Hyland — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 19:29:25 +0000

As a personal trainer, I think this is a great article. I see clients as well as my peers feeling stuck or think that they have hit a plateau and can’t do anything about it. It’s so important that we be aware of how our attitudes and feelings can manifest physically. This is such a great resource for my clients that are hitting a wall as I once did. I recommend that they give this a try since it helped me and it’s free by clicking on the link above. Thank you Morty.