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1. John Ellsworth, MA • Protex Sports (www.protexsports.com)
Using Positive Self-
Statements in Sports
Discover why some athletes succeed when others
struggle with success and what you can do about it.
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2. Using Positive Self-Statements in Sports
Have you ever wondered why it seems that certain athletes succeed where others seem to
struggle with success?
The people who succeed know how to program their minds for success, while others may be
operating under a cloud of negative suggestions, statements or beliefs. The challenging news
about what we say to ourselves is these beliefs developed early in life and have become a
regular method we use to communicate to ourselves. The good news is that this pattern can
with practice be corrected.
The method of using positive Self-Affirmations, or Positive Self-Statements to change your
internal communication with yourself is simple. The process is so simple that it is often
overlooked or underestimated as a powerful tool to help athletes with positive change and
improved success.
What is a Positive Self-Talk Statement?
The mind is always talking and advising you about who you are, how you should feel, and
reinforcing the type of person you are or ought to be. A positive self-talk statement is a
statement you make to yourself on a regular and frequent basis in order to reprogram both the
conscious and unconscious mind with an idea, belief, or attitude you choose for yourself.
Positive Self-Talk statements can be anything you want, but they must be used for your own
good and the good of others.
How often have you doubted yourself either before or after an athletic performance?
When you achieve success during athletic competition you either reward yourself with positive
statements, or you might repeat negative statements to yourself like, “You choker, or Why
can’t you get it right, or “I can never seem to this done the way I want to.”
Positive Self-Statements are a powerful way to replace negative “mind chatter.” Mind chatter is
an unproductive unconscious guidance system outside of your awareness that controls your
behavior with “value related statements.”
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3. Where did these self-talk statements come from?
As you grow up you learn certain limitations about what was is possible as a result of your life
experiences. Some experiences can be far outside of your conscious thought process and you
may not even be aware they exist. At other times you might be aware of saying ”No, I should
be able to do better than this” to yourself. You might even say, “That’s just the way I am, “ and
feel somewhat hopeless about changing some quality, or attribute about yourself. You may have
heard someone close to you say, “Come on now, you can do better than that.” The more often
you heard these statements the more you may have started to believe in certain “expectations”
about how you should perform rather than how you were capable of performing.
Positive Self-Statements are the mechanism by which you can change your mind and literally
re-create your self-thoughts on a daily basis with relatively little effort. All you need is a few
minutes each day to practice. Remember, the problematic negative belief statement you are
about to re-write has been in existence for some time. Now is the time to give yourself ample
time for the change to grow and prosper in your mind.
Why do Positive Self-Statements Produce Results?
An alert and conscious mind stays alert if it believes it is capable of doing so. We learn and
develop “belief statements” early in life by what others tell us. If we are told we are “less than
capable” or that we “should do better”, we may cultivate a mindset that is never satisfied with
what we do or achieve – thereby programming us to always expect more. If the mind is always
expecting more, we have in essence set a standard by which we can never be satisfied with our
achievements. If we are never satisfied with how we perform how do we reward ourselves with
positive self-statements? We will always be asking for something beyond what we have
achieved.
Positive Self-Talk statements help to re-program the mind. They are the nourishment the mind
and personal self-esteem needs to re-program a belief in self. They are the encouragement
statements that cultivate new thoughts to take root and grow. As you continue to repeat the
new statements the new thoughts become stronger, and grow deeper into your unconscious
mind until the a new belief system is fully established, flourishing, and bearing positive results.
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4. Important for Best Results
Always phrase your self-statements positively and in the present tense. The unconscious mind,
which makes pictures from your words, does not register negatives. When you tell your
unconscious mind, “Don’t miss that fast ball”, the mind makes a picture of missing the fastball,
and then has to find a way to cancel that picture and generate a new behavior. This three-step
process is very complex and does not help to generate positive behavior. This also explains why
you continue to do the things that you tell yourself not to do.
Tell your unconscious mind exactly what you want it to do and it will follow the instructions
you give it, especially when you repeat the instructions calmly and cheerfully for a period of
time – four-six weeks. Here are some examples of positive self-statements:
(1) My performance today will be the best I can give regardless of
the weather or conditions of the field.
(2) I choose to see myself performing effortlessly as I glide
through my wind-up and delivery with confidence and focus.
(3) I love to compete, I love the energy of being in a field of
runners, bikers and swimmers and chose to focus on
remaining present and in the flow.
(4) By having my pre-at-bat plan and sticking to my plan there is
success without judgment regardless of the outcome.
(5) I choose to take the success from practice in to the game with
confidence and trust in my ability to be a winner.
(6) Being in the flow and in the process of my own race means no
judgment and no analysis.
(7) I am looking forward to each new day because I chose to
believe I add value to the team.
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5. Blocks and Barriers to Self-Affirmations, Self-Statements, Positive-Self Talk
You have faithfully followed the process, but the positive self-statement process is not working
for you. What is wrong?
There are several possibilities. You may have a stronger, more dominant belief conflicting with
the positive affirmation statement(s) you are trying to introduce.
Another possibility for positive affirmation statements not working may involve a different kind
of conflict. I worked with an athlete who determined after examining other issues, he was
holding onto some very strong past resentments. The resentments were “more important” to
part of the athletes mind than the improvements he was trying to create.
A third possibility is the positive self-statement is based on the person’s idea about what they
“should” create, rather than about what they really want to create. For example, another
athlete I worked with “thought” he “should” perform better each time he had an an-bat during
a game. If the idea of performance improvement is based on an expectation or “should”
statement, rather than a confident belief then the positive self-statement will rarely take root.
A fourth possibility may occur when a person feels they “don’t deserve” whatever they are
attempting to affirm, because of a general lack of self-esteem or specific fear of some kind or
another. This could be a fear of failure or a fear of success.
These examples of blocks, barriers, or slumps illustrate a very important principle. As you begin
to say or write your positive affirmation statements, pay attention to the “objections” that may
enter into the thought process from other parts of your mind. When you say, I am confident in
my preparation and will perform to the best of my ability without expectations,” and a voice in
your mind replies, “Hogwash, you are no more ready for this game than a man on the moon,”
this is “chatter. ” or a conflicting “negative self-statement that will soon disappear, as you
continue with the positive self-statements and develop a belief that “you are ready”!
Let positive self-statements, become a positive force in your athletic life. Let this positive force
enable you to become all that you can be.
You can Improve Your Performance with
Positive Self-Statements. Make a commitment to get started now.
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