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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.

Confidence is all about one thing: believing in yourself!

You need to feel relaxed and happy in all aspects of your life to function optimally.

when self-esteem is low you are not in the driving seat. Other people or events are steering the wheel, while you crouch in the back wondering where they will take you next.

It’s about being yourself, and knowing that within you lies the power to create all that you want in life.

it is time to take a deep breath and deal with the present.

It’s easy to look back and blame the past, your parents, your siblings, your teachers, your partner for leaving you, and so on, but at the end of the day the way you feel about yourself now is your responsibility. You can choose now to respond to life without your old self-doubt, hesitation and confusion.

Love and fear are deeply and intrinsically interconnected – one cannot exist without the other.

Resisting fear does one thing only: it creates more fear.

Love teaches us to cut through divisive social chains,